Article 170

Composition of the Legislative Assemblies

Official heading: “Composition of the Legislative Assemblies.”

Check this article against the official editionAwaiting human legal review

Source edition: The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
Source locator: Part VI, Article 170, printed pages 76–78
Last human source-link check: Not yet checked
Last human legal review: Not yet reviewed

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1. In One Sentence

Article 170 regulates the composition of State Legislative Assemblies, fixing numerical limits between 60 and 500 directly elected members and governing constituency delimitation.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 170 establishes the democratic foundation of the State Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha). Subject to special constitutional exceptions, each Assembly consists of not more than 500 and not less than 60 members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies.

Delimitation Principles: Clause (2) mandates that territorial constituencies must be divided so that the ratio between population and seat allocation is, as far as practicable, uniform throughout the State.

Constitutional Delimitation Freezes: Explanations to Clause (2) and the proviso to Clause (3) (amended by the 42nd and 84th Amendments) freeze the readjustment of total assembly seats based on the 1971 census until the first census taken after 2026, while allowing internal constituency boundary rationalization based on the 2001 census.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

A newly carved constituency in a State is drawn during a delimitation exercise.

Core takeaway: Under Article 170(2), the Election Commission's Delimitation Commission must ensure that the population-to-seat ratio remains broadly equal across all assembly constituencies in that State.

Illustrative Notice: Certain smaller States (such as Goa, Sikkim, and Mizoram) have fewer than 60 seats pursuant to special parliamentary reorganizations sanctioned under Articles 371F to 371I.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 170 fixes the numerical parameters and democratic apportionment of Legislative Assemblies.

Numerical boundaries: Standard range of 60 to 500 directly elected MLAs.
Direct adult suffrage from single-member territorial constituencies.
Proportional equality across constituencies within the State.
Seat-freeze until 2026: Total seat count frozen under constitutional amendment provisos.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

(1) Subject to the provisions of article 333, the Legislative Assembly of each State shall consist of not more than five hundred, and not less than sixty, members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the State. (2) For the purposes of clause (1), each State shall be divided into territorial constituencies in such manner that the ratio between the population of each constituency and the number of seats allotted to it shall, so far as practicable, be the same throughout the State. Explanation.—In this clause, the expression “population” means the population as ascertained at the last precedi ng census of which the relevant figures have been published: Provided that the reference in this Explanation to the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published shall, until the relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2026 have been published, be construed as a reference to the 2001 census. (3) Upon the completion of each census, the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of each State and the division of each State into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted by such authority and in such manner as Parliament may by law determine: Provided that such readjustment shall not affect representation in the Legislative Assembly until the dissolution of the then existing Assembly: Provided further that such readjustment shall take effect from such date as the President may, by order, specify and until such readjustment takes effect, any election to the Legislative Assembly may be held on the basis of the territorial constituencies existing before such readjustment: Provided also that until the relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2026 have been published, it shall not be necessary to readjust— (i) the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of each State as readjusted on the basis of the 1971 census; and (ii) the division of such State into territorial constituencies as may be readjusted on the basis of the 2001 census, under this clause.

Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata

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Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part VI, Article 170, printed pages 76–78 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource