Election Special: The pressing need for reform in India’s electoral system

As the world's largest democracy, India prides itself on giving every adult a vote. But those votes don't all carry equal weight these days. The reason? India's failure to properly redraw its parliamentary constituency boundaries - a process known as "delimitation"- to account for population shifts over the past 50 years.

Stuck with 1971 Numbers

The number of Lok Sabha and state assembly seats was frozen based on the 1971 census. Delimitation is how most democracies periodically reset those constituency maps to uphold the sacred principle of one person, one vote. In the U.S., for instance, the 435 House seats get reapportioned across states after each decade's census count.

But in India's case, those legally mandated delimitation exercises simply ground to a halt after 1971. The result? Today's constituency boundaries are completely divorced from current population realities. 

The long-delayed 2021 census data was initially postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequently delayed again because of the 2024 general elections. 

Even then, hypothetically, if the delimitation is carried out based on the 2021 census, states like Uttar Pradesh could see their Lok Sabha seats balloon from 80 to 128 while southern states get much smaller increases - Tamil Nadu just from 39 to 41 seats.

The consequences of this delimitation failure are severe. In poorer states like Bihar, ballooning constituencies have severely diluted the value of each person's vote. 

In the hypothetical scenario, Bihar may jump from 40 to 70 seats, revealing just how underrepresented its people have been. Marginalised groups that experienced faster population growth in recent decades - like Scheduled Castes/Tribes, and religious minorities - are also underrepresented.

A Delimitation Deadline After 2026

With the 2021 census now postponed until after the 2024 general elections, the next delimitation of parliamentary constituencies cannot happen until after 2026 based on the first census after that year, as required by the 84th Amendment.

Three Blueprints for a More Balanced Mapping

This article by Shruti Rajagopalan has presented three great solutions for the legacy problems with the current system. Rather than attempting a messy, zero-sum reshuffle of existing Lok Sabha seats, India could explore broader reforms to improve voter equality while respecting state interests:

Fiscal Federalism

Devolving more tax and spending powers to state governments could defuse tensions over Parliament seat reallocations. With greater fiscal self-sufficiency, states may care less about their share of Lok Sabha seats tied to Delhi's funding transfers. This could allow a clean, population-based redrawing of the Lok Sabha map itself.

The pitfall? Such devolution risks accentuating economic inequalities if poorer states lack revenue capacity.

A Rajya Sabha Reinvention

Alternatively, India could keep its redistributive system of fiscal transfers from the Center, but transform the Rajya Sabha into an equal-representation Senate-style body. Each state would receive the same number of seats regardless of population.

This would insulate state funding from population moves, while letting Lok Sabha seats be apportioned strictly by population. But it would require amending the Rajya Sabha's powers over budgets and money bills.

Tying Upper House Clout to Tax Receipts

The boldest idea? Keep Lok Sabha seats precisely population-based, but reconceive the Rajya Sabha so each state's seat share depends on its own tax revenues per capita - not total population. States expanding their tax bases through economic vitality would gain more national power.

Yet the Rajya Sabha's budgetary role could still facilitate redistributing funds to help underdeveloped regions invest and grow. Talk about an incentive for pro-growth policies!

A 21st Century Democracy Reboot

When drafting the Constitution, India's founders envisioned a system balancing parliamentary representation with robust state autonomy. But by leaving delimitation frozen for decades, that vision has devolved into an unbalanced, unrepresentative muddle.

Bold reforms can help Indian democracy live up to its ideals of political equality and self-governance. Whether borrowing ideas from overseas or innovating domestically, it's time for a serious reboot to ensure every Indian's voice and vote finally matters equally.