Question map
How many Delimitation Commissions have been constituted by the Government of India till December 2023 ?
Explanation
The present Delimitation Commission was constituted by the Government[1] of India in exercise of powers conferred by Section 3 of Delimitation Act, 2002.[1] This refers to the fourth and most recent Delimitation Commission.
Historically, India has constituted four Delimitation Commissions in total: the first was set up in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952; the second in 1963 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1962; the third in 1973 under the Delimitation Act, 1972; and the fourth in 2002 under the Delimitation Act, 2002. Each commission was tasked with redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies based on census data to ensure fair representation. Therefore, by December 2023, four Delimitation Commissions have been constituted, making option D the correct answer.
Sources- [1] https://www.eci.gov.in/Documents/Delimitation/DelimitedLandscapeOfUnionTerritoryOfJammuKashmir.pdf
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a classic 'Sitter' from the static portion of Laxmikanth (Chapter 71). It tests the historical timeline of electoral bodies rather than just their powers. If you skipped the 'History/Background' paragraph or the table listing the commissions, you lost 2 easy marks.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
Explicit heading refers to the 'FOURTH DELIMITATION COMMISSION' and mentions 'Table 71.1 Delimitation Commissions constituted so far', indicating there have been multiple (at least four) commissions and that a list/table exists.
A student could use the book's Table 71.1 (or other authoritative lists) and external historical dates to enumerate each commission and confirm the total number.
Defines the Delimitation Commission as an independent body 'appointed by the President of India', clarifying who constitutes it and that such appointments are discrete events.
Use this rule (President appointment) to search official notifications/Presidential orders for each commission to compile the list and count.
Describes the Commission submitting recommendations in 2007 and a Presidential notification in 2008, showing a concrete instance of a delimitation commission's activity (the commission active around 2007–2008).
A student can place this commission in time (likely the fourth) and then look for earlier similar commission activities to build a chronological list.
Notes administrative actions in 2021–2022 (removing states from Commission's purview, extending term to 2022), showing the commission that produced orders as late as May 2022 was a continuing body—useful for identifying the most recent commission's timeframe.
From these dates one can infer the latest active commission and then check for prior commissions to determine the total up to Dec 2023.
Records a final order in May 2022 for delimitation in J&K by 'the Commission', giving another dated event linked to the same delimitation body and confirming recent activity.
Combine this date with the 'fourth commission' clue to situate commissions historically and then seek earlier commissions (e.g., via official records or the referenced table) to enumerate all.
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Direct lift from Laxmikanth Chapter 71 (Table 71.1: 'Delimitation Commissions constituted so far').
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Electoral System > Delimitation > History of delimitation exercises in India.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the 4 specific years: 1952, 1963, 1973, and 2002. Note the corresponding Acts (1952, 1962, 1972, 2002). Crucial Gap: No commission was set up after the 1981 and 1991 censuses due to the constitutional freeze.
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Don't just read *what* a body does; read *when* it acted. For intermittent bodies (like Pay Commissions, Finance Commissions, Delimitation Commissions), always memorize the 'Total Count' and the 'Latest Year'.
The Delimitation Commission is a presidentially appointed body that draws constituency boundaries and fixes reservation quotas in collaboration with the Election Commission.
High-yield for UPSC: clarifies the institutional mechanism for electoral boundary-setting and reservation of seats; connects directly to topics on representation, Election Commission functions, and constitutional machinery for elections. Mastering this helps answer questions on electoral administration and reforms.
- Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: ELECTION AND REPRESENTATION > Chapter 3: Election and Representation > p. 65
The Delimitation Act, 2002 provided the statutory basis for constituting a Delimitation Commission to readjust Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies (the fourth delimitation exercise followed this Act).
Important for timeline and legal-basis questions: links statutory law, parliamentary role and the practical process of delimitation. Useful for essay/MCQ questions on recent delimitation exercises and their legal foundation.
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 71: Delimitation Commission of India > FOURTH DELIMITATION COMMISSION > p. 530
Delimitation outcomes can be deferred or nullified for particular states and directly affect which constituency maps are used in general elections.
Helps answer questions on federal implications of central orders, exceptions in implementation, and electoral consequences; connects to centre–state relations, special cases like J&K delimitation, and election scheduling/administration.
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 71: Delimitation Commission of India > IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS > p. 531
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 71: Delimitation Commission of India > 532,r;J Indian Polity > p. 532
The 'Freeze' Amendments: The 42nd Amendment (1976) froze the seat allocation based on the 1971 Census. The 84th Amendment (2001) extended this freeze until 2026. The 87th Amendment (2003) allowed constituency boundary readjustment based on the 2001 Census (without changing total seats).
Use 'Decadal Logic' vs 'The Freeze'. India has had elections for ~7 decades. If a commission sat every decade, the answer would be 7. But you know about the 'Family Planning' freeze during the Emergency (1976). This implies a massive gap. 1950s, 60s, 70s = 3 commissions. Then the freeze lifted partially in 2002 = 1 commission. Total = 4.
Mains GS-2 (Federalism): The history of these 4 commissions sets the stage for the post-2026 delimitation crisis. Linking the static history of seat freezes to the 'North vs South' population representation debate adds critical depth to Mains answers on Centre-State relations.