Constitution 330 — Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the House of the People

The Constitution of India, 1950

Statutory text

(1) Seats shall be reserved in the House of the
People for —
(a) the Scheduled Castes;
(b) the Scheduled Tribes except the Scheduled Tribes in the
autonomous districts of Assam; and
(c) the Scheduled Tribes in the autonomous districts of Assam.
(2) The number of seats reserved in any State or Union territory for
the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes under clause (1) shall bear, as
nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of seats allotted to
that State or Union territory in the House of the People as the population of
the Scheduled Castes in the State or Union territory or of the Scheduled
Tribes in the State or Union territory or part of the State or Union territory,
as the case may be, in respect of which seats are so reserved, bears to the total
population of the State or Union territory.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in clause (2), the number of
seats reserved in the House of the People for the Scheduled Tribes in the
autonomous districts of Assam shall bear to the total number of seats allotted to
that State a proportion not less than the population of the Scheduled Tribes in
the said autonomous districts bears to the total population of the State.
Explanation.—In this article and in article 332, the expression
“population” means the population as ascertained at the last preceding census
of which the relevant figures have been published:
Provided that the reference in this Explanation to the last preceding
census of which the relevant figures have been published shall, until the
relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2026 have been
published, be construed as a reference to the 2001 census.
330A. Reservation of seats for women in the House of the People.-
(1) Seats shall be reserved for women in the House of the People.
(2) As nearly as may be, one-third of the total number of seats reserved
under clause (2) of article 330 shall be reserved for women belonging to the
Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes.
(3) As nearly as may be, one-third (including the number of seats
reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled
Tribes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election to the House
of the People shall be reserved for women.

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