PM Economic Advisory Council Recommends Increasing Lok Sabha Seats

The Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM) has recommended increasing the number of Lok Sabha constituencies from the current 543 to 824 in a bid to improve voter participation and representation. According to the council's latest study, 373 constituencies should remain unchanged, while 59 constituencies should be split into two and 111 constituencies into three segments. The proposal suggests considering factors such as urban population, SC/ST population, women's population, linguistic diversity, language concentration, and voter turnout patterns while undertaking the delimitation exercise.

The report noted that each Lok Sabha constituency had an average of 18.2 lakh voters during the 2024 General Elections. Analysis of elections held in 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024 showed that smaller constituencies consistently recorded higher voter turnout. The council estimates that increasing constituencies to 824 could raise voter participation by 2.32%, resulting in approximately 2.23 crore additional votes. In Telangana, Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Malkajgiri, and Medak constituencies have been proposed for division into three seats each, while Chevella may be split into two. In Andhra Pradesh, Rajampet, Kadapa, Nandyal, Kurnool, Anantapur, and Visakhapatnam have been recommended for three-way division, while Machilipatnam could be bifurcated into two constituencies. The report also highlighted that over 10.66 lakh Urdu-speaking voters reside in Hyderabad, accounting for nearly 64% of the constituency’s electorate.