{
  "id": 4319720,
  "title": "Why an ICSSR ex-chairman wants delimitation paused for 3-4 decades",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/why-an-icssr-ex-chairman-wants-delimitation-paused-for-3-4-decades",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-30T01:15:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/why-an-icssr-ex-chairman-wants-delimitation-paused-for-3-4-decades-10855094/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), J K Bajaj, has called for a pause in delimitation for another 25 years and the consideration of federal principles over the 'one person, one vote, one value' principle until population stabilisation across states occurs within the next three to four decades. Bajaj and his colleagues suggest this is the appropriate time to conduct delimitation.\n\nBajaj's research indicates that the population of some states, like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, has declined while that of others, such as Kerala, has grown relative to the overall Indian population up to 1971. He believes that as states stabilise demographically, it will be the right time to reassess the distribution of seats in Parliament.\n\nBajaj argues that extending the delimitation freeze enacted in 1976 and 2001 for 25 more years would allow population trends to stabilise across states, making the subsequent delimitation process more logical. He maintains that 'one person, one vote, one value' should not be altered to incorporate economic and social performance factors, as the demographic transition in different states is linked to their respective socio-economic standing, influencing population growth.\n\nThe chairman questions the government's ability to balance affirmative action for disadvantaged states with the desire to grant more prosperous states larger shares in Parliament. He clarifies that freezing state shares does not reward or punish prosperity, but rather maintains the federal compact until all states complete their demographic transitions.\n\nBajaj emphasises that the varying rates of demographic change across states are influenced by factors such as nutrition, hygiene, health, education, and social stability. While family planning can impact demographic change, its adoption in a democratic society largely depends on these broader factors. He also addresses concerns of southern states, noting the significant population loss they would face in a new delimitation and the impossibility of assuaging such fears without considering relative shares rather than absolute seat numbers.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Former ICSSR chairman J K Bajaj seeks 25-year pause in delimitation.",
    "Population declines in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar; growth in Kerala.",
    "Extending freeze until demographic stability would make seat distribution logical."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Pausing delimitation for decades would allow India's states to stabilise demographically, making subsequent seat redistribution in Parliament more logical and maintaining the federal compact until then.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}