Centre Proposes Major Lok Sabha Expansion To 850 Seats Via Constitutional Amendment

The Union government has officially proposed to significantly overhaul the composition of the Lok Sabha, House of the People, through The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, to increase its strength from 543 to 850 members.

According to Live Law, the Bill will be taken up in a special session of Parliament to be convened on April 16 and 17.

The Bill proposes an amendment to Article 82 of the Indian Constitution to remove the mandatory delimitation provision. Currently, Article 82 governs the process of readjustment of parliamentary constituencies following each Census.

Under the third proviso to Article 82, the next delimitation exercise is to be based on Census data taken after 2026. The proposed Bill aims to do away with the entire proviso, removing the constitutional mandate that delimitation must automatically follow the post-2026 Census. As a result, delimitation could be undertaken even before the 2026 Census.

As per the proposed amendment to Article 81 of the Indian Constitution, the Lok Sabha will have a maximum of 815 members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the states, and not more than 35 members will be chosen from Union Territories for representation, in such manner as Parliament may by law provide.

The Bill, if passed, could expedite the implementation of one-third reservation for women in the next election.