The political configuration of Uttar Pradesh may undergo changes ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, with the implementation of the women’s reservation law expected to trigger a delimitation exercise in the state. The central government is preparing to implement the Nari Vandan Act, which provides for women’s reservation, from the upcoming general elections. According to sources, a plan is under consideration to increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats from the current 543 to approximately 816 as part of this process.
Uttar Pradesh is expected to witness the highest increase in seats due to its status as the most populous state in the country. At present, 80 Members of Parliament are elected from the state. Following delimitation, the number of Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh could rise to 120. Currently, 63 seats are classified as general category, while 17 are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC). If the total reaches 120, the number of general seats may increase to 94–95, while SC-reserved seats could rise to 25–26.
In the first Lok Sabha election held in 1951, Uttar Pradesh had 69 constituencies, at a time when Uttarakhand had not been separated from the state. Several constituencies elected two Members of Parliament. For instance, Dehradun and Bijnor districts formed a single constituency, as did Garhwal and Tehri Garhwal districts. In that election, one Member of Parliament was elected from 52 constituencies, while 17 constituencies elected two members each.
Following the delimitation exercise in 1973, the number of constituencies in Uttar Pradesh increased to 85. These included constituencies such as Tehri Garhwal, Garhwal, Almora, Nainital, Bijnor (SC), Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Badaun, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Kheri, Sitapur, Hardoi, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Allahabad, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, among others.
After the formation of Uttarakhand in 2000, five constituencies were separated from Uttar Pradesh, reducing the total number of Lok Sabha seats in the state to 80. These include constituencies such as Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Kheri, Sitapur, Misrikh, Hardoi, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Farrukhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Kanpur, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Phulpur, Allahabad, Barabanki, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Kaiserganj, Shravasti, Gonda, Domariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Bansgaon, Kushinagar, Deoria, Salempur, Ballia, Ghosi, Azamgarh, Lalganj, Jaunpur, Machhlishahr, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Mirzapur and Robertsganj.
With the anticipated delimitation ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections following the implementation of women’s reservation, the number of seats in Uttar Pradesh is expected to increase. This would alter the balance between general and Scheduled Caste quotas. The exercise could result in an addition of around 40 Members of Parliament from the state, potentially affecting political configurations within Uttar Pradesh.
