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What is Article 170 of indian constitution

 

📜 Article 170 of the Indian Constitution

Title: Composition of the Legislative Assemblies


🔹 Text Summary of Article 170:

Article 170 deals with the composition (structure and strength) of the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) in each state.


📌 Key Provisions of Article 170:

Provision Details
(1) The Legislative Assembly of each state shall consist of not more than 500 and not less than 60 members.
Exception Some smaller states like Sikkim, Goa, Mizoram may have fewer than 60 members (as per Parliament's law).
(2) Seats are to be directly elected by the people from territorial constituencies in the state.
(3) Delimitation (i.e., fixing boundaries and number of constituencies) shall be done by an independent authority (Delimitation Commission).
(4) The population figures used are from the 2001 Census, until the first census after the year 2026. (As per 91st Amendment Act, 2003)

🧠 Key Takeaways:

  • Ensures representation based on population, while setting an upper and lower limit.

  • Uses delimitation to adjust the number and size of constituencies.

  • Freezes changes to the number of seats in assemblies until after 2026, to promote population control efforts.

  • Promotes direct election via universal adult franchise.


🏛️ Examples:

State No. of Assembly Seats
Uttar Pradesh 403
Maharashtra 288
Sikkim 32
Goa 40
Mizoram 40

⚖️ Related Articles:

Article Subject
168 Constitution of State Legislatures
171 Composition of Legislative Councils
329(a) Delimitation of constituencies (barred from court challenge)

Here is a ✅ State-wise chart of Legislative Assembly seats as per Article 170 and latest available data (based on the 2008 delimitation and valid till next delimitation after 2026, using 2001 Census):


🗳️ State-wise Number of Legislative Assembly Seats in India

🆔 State Total Seats Reserved for SC Reserved for ST
1 Andhra Pradesh 175 29 7
2 Arunachal Pradesh 60 1 59
3 Assam 126 8 16
4 Bihar 243 38 2
5 Chhattisgarh 90 10 29
6 Goa 40 1 1
7 Gujarat 182 13 27
8 Haryana 90 17 0
9 Himachal Pradesh 68 17 3
10 Jharkhand 81 9 28
11 Karnataka 224 36 15
12 Kerala 140 14 2
13 Madhya Pradesh 230 35 47
14 Maharashtra 288 29 25
15 Manipur 60 1 19
16 Meghalaya 60 0 55
17 Mizoram 40 0 39
18 Nagaland 60 0 59
19 Odisha 147 24 33
20 Punjab 117 34 0
21 Rajasthan 200 34 25
22 Sikkim 32 2 12
23 Tamil Nadu 234 44 2
24 Telangana 119 19 12
25 Tripura 60 10 20
26 Uttar Pradesh 403 84 2
27 Uttarakhand 70 13 2
28 West Bengal 294 68 16

🧠 Notes:

  • These numbers are based on Delimitation of 2008 using 2001 Census.

  • Next delimitation is frozen until after the 2026 census (under Article 170(3)).

  • SC/ST seats are reserved based on population percentages.

  • Union Territories like Delhi, J&K, and Puducherry have Assemblies too but are governed by separate articles (239AA, etc.).