Which of the following Constitution Amendment Acts seeks that the size of the Councils of Ministers at the Centre and in a State must not exceed 15 per cent of the total number of members in the Lok Sabha and the total number of members of the Legislative Assembly of that State, respectively?

The 91st Constitution Amendment Act, 2003 introduced a cap on the size of the Council of Ministers to prevent excessively large ministries and inducements for political support. It specified that the total number of ministers, including the Prime Minister, shall not exceed 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha, and a similar 15% cap was applied to State Councils of Ministers with respect to their Legislative Assemblies. This limit was incorporated by amending provisions such as Article 75 (and the corresponding Article 164 for States) to restrict ministerial strength to 15 percent, thereby reducing the scope for expansion of ministries for political accommodation [2].

Sources

1. [1] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: EXECUTIVE > Size of the Council of Ministers > p. 91
2. [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 21: Central Council of Ministers > Article 75-Others Provisions as to Ministers > p. 213