Imagine, just for a moment, that India’s political conversation isn’t as adversarial, polarised or mired by mistrust as it is now. Even in such a distant utopia, the question of delimitation would have no easy answers. At the heart of the debate, shorn of politics, are two principles foundational to Indian democracy at loggerheads. The first is the right of every Indian above 18 years of age to be counted and have an equal share in their government. Competing with it are the rights (and the fears) of states — each a discrete constitutional entity — around their political and legislative voice in Parliament.

The questions that the dialectic between federalism and franchise raises are fundamental to the future of the republic: Should states that have reached a higher level of economic development and social security — the cause of declining fertility rates — be punished for their success? Why should a vote in Begusarai count for less than one cast in Bellary, which is practically the case now in the Hindi heartland, where the elector-to-elected ratio is much higher?

For decades, governments delayed dealing with the issue, hoping perhaps that the differences between states would be resolved over time. But that’s not the only reason the issue remained largely dormant.

The politics-as-usual before 2014 had, in the way that functioning democracies do, found an equilibrium — in practice if not........

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