A violation of one person, one vote, one value: Shah
The statement by Home Minister Amit Shah directly engages with the constitutional and procedural requirements of the Delimitation Commission and its link to the Women's Reservation Act (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023). The 'one person, one vote, one value' principle is a foundational democratic concept relevant to GS II. The interplay between delimitation, census, and women's reservation implementation is a high-probability mains topic.
Key facts
- Home Minister Amit Shah invoked the principle of 'one person, one vote, one value' in the context of delimitation.
- The Delimitation Commission would require public hearings in all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies before redrawing boundaries.
- Shah argued the process could not be completed before 2029, potentially delaying women's reservation implementation.
- The Women's Reservation Act (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023) reserves 33% seats for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
- The Act's implementation is contingent on completion of delimitation following the next Census.
- The next general elections are scheduled for 2029.
The Minister said the Delimitation Commission would have required public hearings in all the 543 constituencies and it could not have been completed by 2029, affecting the implementation of the women’s reservation Act by the 2029 general election.
Concepts to know
A statutory body constituted under the Delimitation Act to determine the number and boundaries of constituencies for elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies; its orders have the force of law and cannot be questioned in any court.
Also called the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, it mandates one-third reservation for women in Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, and Delhi Assembly. However, it is contingent on completion of Census and delimitation before coming into force.
A democratic principle holding that each citizen's vote should carry equal weight, achieved through periodic delimitation to ensure equitable constituency sizes based on population.
Article 82 mandates readjustment of Lok Sabha seats and constituency boundaries after every census. The current freeze on seat readjustment was extended until the first census after 2026 to avoid penalising states with better population control.
Article 170 provides for the composition of State Legislative Assemblies and mandates readjustment of assembly constituencies after each census, mirroring Article 82 at the state level.
The law under which the Delimitation Commission is constituted; it outlines the procedure including mandatory public hearings before finalising constituency boundaries.
Linked previous-year questions
The UPSC questions this story connects to.
Consider the following statements: 1. In India, there is no law restricting the candidates from contesting in one Lok Sabha election from three constituencies. 2. In the 1991 Lok Sabha Election, Shri Devi Lal contested from three Lok Sabha constituencies. 3. As per the existing rules, if a candidate contests in one Lok Sabha election from many constituencies, his/her party should bear the cost of bye-elections to the constituencies vacated by him/her in the event of him/her winning in all the constituencies. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) 1 and 3 (d) 2 and 3
- a.1 only
- b.2 only ✓
- c.1 and 3
- d.2 and 3
Polity · UPSC 2021The following news item appeared in a National daily dated 1-12-1999: "...Parliament today rejected a Bill to grant women the right to vote and stand for office in parliamentary elections, by a margin of 32 to 30. The National Assembly was split between liberal pro-government and Shiite Muslim deputies who were in favour of women's rights, while the opposition camp grouped Sunni Muslim fundamentalists and tribal MPs. A total of 64 MPs and Ministers were present, of whom two abstained." The Parliament referred to in this quotation is that of: (a) Kuwait (b) Iran (c) Bahrain (d) Saudi Arabia
- a.Kuwait ✓
- b.Iran
- c.Bahrain
- d.Saudi Arabia
International Relations · UPSC 2000Consider the following statements about the recent amendments to the elections law by the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 1996: 1. Any conviction for the offence of insulting the Indian National flag or the Constitution of Indian shall entail disqualification for contesting elections to Parliament and State Legislatures for six year from the date of conviction 2. There is an increase in the security deposit which a candidate has to make to contest the election to the Lok Sabha 3. A candidate cannot now stand for election from more than one Parliament Constituency 4. No election will now be countermanded on the death of a contesting candidate Which of the above statements are correct? (a) 2 and 3 (b) 1, 2 and 4 (c) 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
- a.2 and 3
- b.1, 2 and 4 ✓
- c.1 and 3
- d.1, 2, 3 and 4
Polity · UPSC 1999Consider the following statements: In the electoral college for Presidential Election in India, 1. The value of the vote of an elected Member of Legislative Assembly equals State Population × 100 = Number of Elected MLAs of the State 2. The value of the vote of an elected Member of Parliament equals to total value of the votes of all elected MLA's divided by total number of elected MP's 3. There were more than 5000 members in the latest elections. Which of these statements is/are correct? (a) 1 and 2 (b) Only 2 (c) 1 and 3 (d) Only 3
- a.1 and 2
- b.Only 2 ✓
- c.1 and 3
- d.Only 3
Polity · UPSC 2003With reference to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, consider the following statements: While any resolution for the removal of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is under consideration. 1. He/she shall not preside. 2. He/She shall not have the right to speak. 3. He/She shall not be entitled to vote on the resolution in the first instance. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
- a.1 only ✓
- b.1 and 2 only
- c.2 and 3 only
- d.1, 2 and 3
Polity · UPSC 2024Consider the following statements: 1. According to the Constitution of India a person who is eligible to vote can be made a minister in a State for six months even if he/she is not a member of the Legislature of that State. 2. According to the Representation of People Act, 1951, a person convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment for five years is permanently disqualified from contesting an election even after his release from prison. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
- a.1 only
- b.2 only
- c.Both 1 and 2
- d.Neither 1 nor 2 ✓
Polity · UPSC 2020
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