Delimitation Commission of Madhya Pradesh | 11 Sep 2024

Why in News?  

Recently, the Madhya Pradesh government formed a delimitation commission to re-examine administrative boundaries and improve public access to services.

Key Points

• Delimitation Commission Formation: 
  • Aim to improve public access to services and address existing anomalies. 
    • Districts like Sagar, Ujjain, Indore, and Dhar face administrative difficulties due to their size.
• Delimitation:  
  • The process involves fixing the number of seats and boundaries of territorial constituencies, including the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), based on data after every decennial census.
  • The Constitution of India mandates delimitation after each census.  
    • Article 82 mandates the readjustment of seats for the Lok Sabha, while Article 170 provides for the same exercise at the state level. The process is performed by a powerful body called the Delimitation Commission, appointed by the President of India at the central level.
  • State governments also appoint a Delimitation Commission to adjust the boundaries of districts and divisions to improve administrative efficiency.
    • The high-powered commission is headed by an officer appointed by the state government. Its orders have a force of law and cannot be called into question before any court in India.
  • Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002. 
    • The first delimitation exercise was carried out by the President (with the help of the Election Commission) in 1950-51.