What is Article 81 of Indian constitution ?| Article 81 of the Indian Constitution explains the composition of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) — which is the Lower House of the Indian Parliament.

What is Article 81 of Indian constitution ?

 Article 81 of the Indian Constitution explains the composition of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) — which is the Lower House of the Indian Parliament.

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📜 Text of Article 81 (Simplified)

The Lok Sabha shall consist of members elected directly by the people of India, based on universal adult suffrage (voting rights for all adults), and representation of States and Union Territories.

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✅ Key Points of Article 81

1. Maximum Strength of Lok Sabha

Originally:

• The maximum number of members in the Lok Sabha was fixed at 550:

  • 530 from States

  • 20 from Union Territories

Today (after constitutional amendments):

• The current maximum limit is 552:

  • 530 from States

  • 20 from Union Territories

  • 2 may be nominated by the President (from the Anglo-Indian community — this provision was abolished in 2020 via the 104th Amendment)

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2. Representation Based on Population

• The number of seats allocated to each State is based on its population.

• But due to the 42nd and 84th Amendments, the population count is frozen based on the 1971 Census, until the year 2026.

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3. Direct Election

• Members are elected by direct elections using the first-past-the-post system.

• Each member represents a single territorial constituency.

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📊 Present Structure (as of 2024):

Category	Seats
Elected from States	530
Elected from Union Territories	13
Total Members	543 (as of now)
Nominated (Anglo-Indian)	❌ Abolished in 2020

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🧾 Example

• Uttar Pradesh, being the most populous state, has the highest number of Lok Sabha seats (80).

• Smaller states like Sikkim and Goa have only 1 or 2 seats.

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📌 Summary of Article 81

Feature	Details
House Name	Lok Sabha (House of the People)
Total Strength (max)	552 (530 from States, 20 from UTs, 2 nominated – now abolished)
Election Method	Direct election from constituencies
Based on	Population of each State/UT (frozen to 1971 census till 2026)
Voting System	First-past-the-post (highest votes win)

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