<h3>Overview</h3> <p>The <span class="key-term" data-definition="Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 — A proposed amendment to the Indian Constitution that seeks to increase the size and composition of the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies; relevant to GS2: Polity">Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026</span> is currently under discussion in the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Lok Sabha — The lower house of India’s Parliament, directly elected by the people; GS2: Polity">Lok Sabha</span>. The bill aims to supersede the seat‑allocation formula based on the <span class="key-term" data-definition="1971 Census — The last Indian census used for determining the number of seats in Parliament and state assemblies; GS3: Economy, GS2: Polity">1971 Census</span> with an <span class="key-term" data-definition="Open-ended formula — A provision that would let Parliament fix the number of seats based on any future census through ordinary legislation; GS2: Polity">open‑ended formula</span> that allows Parliament to choose the census year by ordinary law. The ruling <span class="key-term" data-definition="Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — The centre‑right political party that forms the government at the Union level; GS2: Polity">Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)</span> is seeking support from its allies, while several opposition parties have lodged strong protests.</p> <h3>Key Developments</h3> <ul> <li>The bill proposes to increase the total strength of the <span class="key-term" data-definition="Lok Sabha — The lower house of India’s Parliament, directly elected by the people; GS2: Polity">Lok Sabha</span> and the <span class="key-term" data-definition="State Legislative Assemblies — Unicameral legislatures of Indian states that decide state‑level policies; GS2: Polity">State Legislative Assemblies</span> to reflect population changes.</li> <li>Opposition parties including <span class="key-term" data-definition="All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) — A regional party dominant in West Bengal; GS2: Polity">All India Trinamool Congress (TMC)</span>, <span class="key-term" data-definition="Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) — A regional party dominant in Tamil Nadu; GS2: Polity">Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)</span>, <span class="key-term" data-definition="Biju Janata Dal (BJD) — A regional party dominant in Odisha; GS2: Polity">Biju Janata Dal (BJD)</span> and the Indian National Congress have formally protested the amendment.</li> <li>The BJP plans to introduce the amendment in both houses of Parliament, seeking a majority vote to replace the 1971‑based allocation.</li> <li>Allied parties of the ruling coalition have been approached to either support or abstain from voting against the bill.</li> </ul> <h3>Important Facts</h3> <p>• The current seat‑allocation formula, based on the <strong>1971 Census</strong>, has remained unchanged for over five decades, despite significant demographic shifts.<br> • T