📜 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:
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These numbers are based on Delimitation of 2008 using 2001 Census.
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Next delimitation is frozen until after the 2026 census (under Article 170(3)).
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SC/ST seats are reserved based on population percentages.
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Union Territories like Delhi, J&K, and Puducherry have Assemblies too but are governed by separate articles (239AA, etc.).
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