Constitution 81 — Composition of the House of the People

The Constitution of India, 1950

Statutory text

(1) Subject to the
provisions of article 331 **, the House of the People shall consist of—
(a) not more than five hundred and thirty members chosen by
direct election from territorial constituencies in the States; and
(b) not more than twenty members to represent the Union
territories, chosen in such manner as Parliament may by law provide.
(2) For the purposes of sub-clause (a) of clause (1),—
(a) there shall be allotted to each State a number of seats in the House
of the People in such manner that the ratio between that number and the
population of the State is, so far as practicable, the same for all States;
and
(b) each State shall be divided into territorial constituencies in such
manner that the ratio between the population of each constituency and
the number of seats allotted to it is, so far as practicable, the same
throughout the State:
Provided that the provisions of sub-clause (a) of this clause shall not be
applicable for the purpose of allotment of seats in the House of the People to
any State so long as the population of that State does not exceed six millions.
(3) In this article, 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 clause 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,—
(i) for the purposes of sub-clause (a) of clause (2) and the proviso to
that clause, as a reference to the 1971 census; and
(ii) for the purposes of sub-clause (b) of clause (2) as a reference to
the 2001 census.]

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