As India stands on the brink of the “Second Republic”, the proposed delimitation has reignited the debate over the persistent paradox of the imbalance between demography and democracy. Despite its central role in the democratic theory of political equality, the process of delimitation often grapples with a lingering democratic paradox in large republics, which face the challenge of balancing conflicting territorial, demographic, ethnic, and factional political considerations.

Delimitation in India aims to ensure fair representation in Parliament by adjusting constituency boundaries in line with population changes. However, since 1976, the process has been frozen to avoid penalising states that have successfully controlled population growth, particularly in the south. As a result, states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with much larger populations, remain underrepresented compared to southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which have smaller populations but more parliamentary seats. This imbalance, referred to as malapportionment, has fuelled political tensions, with concerns that the upcoming delimitation exercise in 2029 will shift power toward the politically hegemonic North.

The Indian Constitution mandates delimitation under Article 82, with an independent Delimitation Commission implementing it. Delimitation was conducted in 1952, 1962, and 1972, but was frozen in 1976 through the 42nd constitutional amendment and further postponed in 2001, extending the freeze until 2026. This delay has created a peculiar situation where states that have successfully controlled........

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