Page 93 - Leap of Faith Vol - 2

Democracy Marches Ahead Chapter 3

The number of seats in Lok Sabha had increased from 489 through the Cons tu on (Eighty First Amendment) Act,
to 518, between 1951and 1971, following every decennial 2001 un l the first census taken a er the year 2026. As a
census as determined by the Delimita on Commission. result, the strength of Lok Sabha and legisla ve assemblies
The Cons tu on (Forty Second Amendment) Act, 1976 put remain frozen at 1977 level. Thus any delimita on ac vity
a moratorium on enhancement/rearrangement of seats undertaken un l the publica on of the first census report
un l the report of the first Census a er the year 2000 was a er 2026 would be limited to rearrangement of seats, at
published. This new provision amended Ar cles 55, 81, 82, best, within the boundaries of the states, and not their
170, 330 and 332 etc. The moratorium was later extended enhancement in number in the legislatures.

TABLE 5 : COMPOSITION OF THE LOK SABHA AFTER THE GENERAL ELECTIONS

Lok Election Total Elections/ No. of Seats of Seats of Seats of Seats of Seats of No. of Seats of
Sabha Year Seats Result National National Single Recognized/ Registered Won by Elected Represented
Declared Parties Parties Largest State (Unrecognized) Independent Women in Lok Sabha
Party Parties Parties Candidates Members
First 1951-52 489 489 14 418 364 34 - 37 21 22
Second 1957 494 494 4 421 371 31 - 42 22 12
Third 1962 494 494 6 440 361 28 6 20 31 20
Fourth 1967 520 520 7 440 283 43 2 35 29 20
Fifth 1971 518 518 8 451 352 40 13 14 20 24
Sixth 1977 542 542 5 481 295 49 3 9 19 18
Seventh 1980 542 529 6 485 353 34 1 9 28 17
Eighth 1984 543 541* 7 462 414 66 - 13 43 19
Ninth 1989 543 529** 8 471 197 27 19 12 29 24
Tenth 1991 543 534€ 9 478 244 51 4 1 39 24
Eleventh 1996 543 543 8 403 161 129 2 9 40 28
Twelfth 1998 543 543 7 387 182 101 49 6 43 39 Sixty Years of Lok Sabha: A Study
Thirteenth 1999 543 543 7 369 182 158 10 6 49 38
Fourteenth 2004 543 543 6 364 145 159 15 5 45 38
Fifteenth 2009 543 543 7 376 206 146 12 9 58 37
* Elections were conducted for 541 seats, 514 in 1984 and 27 in 1985; Election not held for one seat.
** Excluding 14 seats om Assam.
€ Elections completed in 521 constituencies in 1991 General Elections, elections for 13 seats in Punjab held in 1992;
elections not held in six seats of Jammu & Kashmir, Elections not completed in three constituencies.

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