Consider the following statements 1. The total elective membership of the Lok Sabha is distributed among the States on the basis of the population and the area of the State. 2. The 84th Amendment Act of the Constitution of India lifted the freeze on the delimitation of constituencies imposed by the 42nd Amendment. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Statement 1 is incorrect because Article 81 of the Constitution mandates that the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha to States is based solely on population, not area. The ratio between the number of seats and the population must, so far as practicable, be the same for all States. Statement 2 is correct as the 42nd Amendment Act (1976) froze the allocation of seats and delimitation of constituencies until the 2001 census [1]. The 84th Amendment Act (2001) lifted this freeze specifically for the delimitation of territorial constituencies within States to correct malapportionment, while extending the freeze on the total number of seats allocated to each State until 2026 [2]. Consequently, the Delimitation Act of 2002 was enacted to readjust boundaries based on the 2001 census without changing the total seat count [2].

Sources

1. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 71: Delimitation Commission of India > CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS > p. 530
2. [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 81: Election Laws > DELIMITATION ACT, 2002 > p. 580