5 Areas For Constitutional Reform & Development

The best of constitutions can be undone if not implemented well. The same holds true for the Constitution of India. Certain institutions and processes established by the Constitution have either not worked as well as expected or have been prone to political manoeuvring. Critical areas that merit public attention are:

DELIMITATION OF CONSTITUENCIES

Fixing boundaries of electoral constituencies is critical to democracy. The Constitution mandates that each state get seats in the Lok Sabha in proportion to its population. In 1976, the Constitution froze delimitation as per the 1971 Census, to allay concerns of states that had controlled their population and could have lost out on seats in the Lok Sabha. Resultantly, the allocation of seats relies on the 1971 Census, irrespective of current population figures. Currently, one Lok Sabha MP in UP represents roughly 25 lakhs voters, while a Kerala MP represents 17 lakh. Going forward, delimitation must address concerns of both states as well as individual voters.

CENTRALISATION OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER