CURRENT AFFAIRS | 1 JUNE 2026
The Union Government is reviving the long-stalled delimitation exercise alongside its One Nation, One Election (ONOE) push, with the stated objective of holding joint Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections by 2029. According to a 31 May 2026 report by Liz Mathew and Arun Janardhanan in The Indian Express, the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the One India Election Bill are now before a 39-member Joint Parliamentary Committee chaired by P P Chaudhary (BJP), whose tenure has been extended till the first day of the monsoon session.
The BJP is actively reaching out to opposition parties such as TMC and DMK. A senior DMK leader, however, has warned that “a uniform 30% increase across states on a Lok Sabha basis would mean southern states would lose representation”. For CLAT 2027 aspirants, this is a high-priority current-affairs cluster combining Articles 81, 82, 170, 327, the 42nd and 84th Constitutional Amendments, the federal balance debate, and the Berubari principle on territorial readjustment.
Constitutional Framework
- Article 81 — Composition of the Lok Sabha; seats allocated on population basis.
- Article 82 — Readjustment of seats after each census, by a Delimitation Commission constituted by Parliament.
- Article 170 — Composition of State Legislative Assemblies; subject to similar census-based readjustment.
- Article 327 — Parliament’s exclusive power to make laws regarding elections to the Union and State legislatures.
- 42nd Amendment (1976) — Froze delimitation till the first census after 2000.
- 84th Amendment (2001) — Extended the freeze to the first census after 2026.
- Delimitation Commission Act, 2002 — Statutory basis for the Commission’s powers; orders are not justiciable.
CLAT Legal Aptitude Angle
CLAT examiners love delimitation because it sits at the intersection of federalism, representative democracy, and constitutional amendment power. Expect questions on: (i) the difference between the 42nd and 84th Amendments freezing delimitation, (ii) the immunity of Delimitation Commission orders from judicial review, (iii) the procedural requirement of Article 368 for amending Article 82 or 170, and (iv) the federal-balance objection — that population-only readjustment penalises states (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh) that successfully controlled population growth.
A passage-based question may ask whether ONOE requires a constitutional amendment ratified by half the State legislatures under the proviso to Article 368(2) — the answer turns on whether it touches Article 172 (duration of Assemblies).
Key Facts at a Glance
| Bills before JPC | 129th Constitution Amendment Bill + One India Election Bill |
| JPC composition | 39 members, Chair P P Chaudhary (BJP) |
| JPC tenure | Extended till first day of monsoon session |
| Target year | 2029 — joint LS + Assembly polls |
| Current freeze | 84th Amendment (2001) — till first census after 2026 |
| Key opposition | DMK, TMC — federalism / southern-state representation concerns |
Mnemonic & Further Reading
Mnemonic — “DELI-2029”: DELImitation revival + 2029 target polls + 129th Amendment Bill.
- Kihoto Hollohan v Zachillhu (1992) — judicial review of Speaker decisions; relevant for ONOE-anti-defection interplay.
- Ram Krishna Dalmia v Tendolkar (1958) — reasonable classification under Article 14, often cited in delimitation challenges.
- Meghraj Kothari v Delimitation Commission (1967) — held Delimitation Commission orders not justiciable.
- Kovind Committee report (2024) on simultaneous elections — JPC’s reference document.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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