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Question 34 of 42 · Constitutional Amendments
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The maximum strength of the elected members of the Lok Sabha was raised from 525 to 545 by the:

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Answer: Option C — 31st Amendment Act, 1973

Detailed Solution

The 31st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1973, raised the upper limit of the elected members of the Lok Sabha from 525 to 545.

Why the increase:

  • The population of India had grown, as shown by the Census of 1971.
  • The allocation of seats to the states is based on their population, so more seats were needed.
  • The increase allowed the seats to be readjusted on the basis of the 1971 Census.

Present composition of the Lok Sabha:

  • The maximum strength of the Lok Sabha, as provided by the Constitution, is 550 elected members: up to 530 from the States and up to 20 from the Union Territories.
  • At present, the Lok Sabha has 543 elected members.
  • Earlier, two members of the Anglo-Indian community could be nominated by the President, but this provision has ended.

Freeze on the number of seats:

  • The 42nd Amendment (1976) froze the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha to the states, and the total number of seats, on the basis of the 1971 Census, until the year 2000.
  • The 84th Amendment (2001) extended this freeze until the first census after 2026.
  • The purpose of the freeze was to ensure that states that controlled their population growth were not penalised by losing seats.

Election of members:

  • The members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people from single-member territorial constituencies, on the basis of adult suffrage.
  • The term of the Lok Sabha is five years, unless it is dissolved earlier.

New Parliament building:

The new Parliament building, inaugurated in May 2023, has a Lok Sabha chamber with seats for 888 members, keeping in mind a possible increase in the number of members after future delimitation.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The 24th, 42nd and 84th Amendments dealt with other matters, including the freeze on seats.

Quick tip

Remember: 31st Amendment (1973) = Lok Sabha elected seats raised from 525 to 545; present maximum 550; at present 543 elected members.

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Constitutional Amendments — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Constitutional Amendments, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the procedure for amending the Constitution under Article 368 and the most important amendments, such as the 1st, 7th, 42nd, 44th, 52nd, 61st, 73rd, 74th, 86th, 101st and 103rd Amendments, along with the basic structure doctrine. Exams ask what a particular amendment did: the 61st lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, the 73rd and 74th gave constitutional status to panchayats and municipalities, the 86th made education a Fundamental Right, and the 101st introduced GST. The 42nd Amendment (1976) is often called the 'mini-Constitution' because of how much it changed. Practise the constitutional amendments questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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