Lok Sabha Total Seats

Lok Sabha (House of the People) — Key Facts: • Total elected seats: 543 • Maximum constitutional strength: 550 (530 from States + 20 from Union Territories) • Nominated seats: 2 (for Anglo-Indian community) — ABOLISHED by 104th Constitutional Amendment (2020) • Present actual strength: 543 elected members • Quorum: One-tenth of total membership (55 members)

Article 81 — Composition of Lok Sabha: • Article 81 of the Indian Constitution governs the composition of Lok Sabha • Provides that the House shall consist of: (a) Not more than 530 members chosen by direct election from the States (b) Not more than 20 members to represent Union Territories • Total maximum: 550 (but currently 543 seats are filled)

Article 331 — Nominated Anglo-Indian Members (Abolished): • Originally, Article 331 allowed the President to nominate 2 Anglo-Indian members to Lok Sabha if the community was not adequately represented • The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019, was passed to abolish this provision • Effective from: 25 January 2020 • The amendment also abolished the 12 nominated Anglo-Indian seats in State Legislative Assemblies

Why Only 543 Out of 550? • Not all states and UTs have filled all possible seats under Article 81 • The delimitation (drawing of constituency boundaries) has resulted in 543 functional seats

States with Most Lok Sabha Seats:

1. Uttar Pradesh — 80 seats (largest)
2. Maharashtra — 48 seats
3. West Bengal — 42 seats
4. Bihar — 40 seats
5. Tamil Nadu — 39 seats
6. Madhya Pradesh — 29 seats
7. Karnataka — 28 seats
8. Rajasthan — 25 seats
9. Gujarat — 26 seats
10. Andhra Pradesh — 25 seats
11. Odisha — 21 seats
12. Telangana — 17 seats
13. Kerala — 20 seats
14. Jharkhand — 14 seats
15. Assam — 14 seats

Union Territories with Lok Sabha Seats: • Jammu and Kashmir — 5 seats (UT with Legislature) • Delhi — 7 seats • Ladakh — 1 seat • Chandigarh — 1 seat • Puducherry — 1 seat • Andaman & Nicobar — 1 seat • Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu — 2 seats • Lakshadweep — 1 seat

Small States with Fewest Seats: • Sikkim — 1 seat • Mizoram — 1 seat • Nagaland — 1 seat • Goa — 2 seats • Meghalaya — 2 seats • Tripura — 2 seats • Himachal Pradesh — 4 seats

Basis of Seat Allocation: • Seats are allocated to each state based on its population (broadly proportional to population) • Delimitation Commission determines the actual boundaries of each constituency • Last delimitation was based on the 2001 Census (frozen until 2026 under Article 82/170) • Delimitation based on 2011 Census was expected after 2026 — likely to significantly increase seats of southern states

Majority in Lok Sabha: • Simple majority = more than half of total seats present and voting • Absolute majority = more than half of total strength (i.e., more than 271 out of 543 = 272 or more seats) • A party or coalition needs 272+ seats to form a majority government

Prime Minister and Lok Sabha: • The Prime Minister must enjoy the confidence (majority support) of the Lok Sabha • If a government loses majority in Lok Sabha, it must resign or face a vote of no confidence • Article 75(3) — The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha

Types of Majority Required for Different Purposes: • Ordinary bill: Simple majority (majority of members present and voting) • Constitutional amendment (Article 368): Special majority — 2/3rd of members present and voting + majority of total strength • Vote of no confidence: Simple majority • Speaker election: Simple majority

History of Majority Governments: • 1951-77: INC won clear majorities repeatedly • 1977: Janata Party coalition won — first non-Congress government • 1984: Rajiv Gandhi's INC won 415/543 seats — historic landslide • 1989–2014: Era of coalition governments — no single party won a majority • 2014: BJP won 282 seats — first single-party majority since 1984 • 2019: BJP won 303 seats — retained majority • 2024: NDA coalition won majority; BJP alone won 240 seats

Elections to Lok Sabha:

1. Universal Adult Franchise: • Every Indian citizen aged 18 and above can vote in Lok Sabha elections • The voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 by the 61st Constitutional Amendment (1988)

2. First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) System: • India uses the First-Past-The-Post electoral system for Lok Sabha • The candidate who gets the most votes in a constituency wins (not necessarily a majority)

3. Term of Lok Sabha: • Normally 5 years from the date of its first sitting after an election • Can be dissolved earlier by the President on advice of the PM • Can be extended during National Emergency (Article 352) — but not by more than 1 year at a time

4. Qualifications for Candidates: • Must be a citizen of India • Must be at least 25 years of age • Must be registered as a voter in any constituency in India • Must not hold any office of profit under the government

5. Election Commission of India (ECI): • Article 324 — ECI superintends, directs, and controls elections to Parliament • Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) heads the ECI • ECI announces the Model Code of Conduct during elections

6. Delimitation: • Delimitation Commission redraws constituency boundaries based on population data • Last major delimitation: based on 2001 Census • Freeze on delimitation (except for newly added states) until after 2026 census

NCERT Reference: • Class 9 Political Science — Chapter 3: Electoral Politics • Class 10 Political Science — Chapter 4: Gender, Religion and Caste