Article 330

Reservation of Lok Sabha Seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

Official heading: “Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the House of the People”

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Source edition: The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
Source locator: Part XVI, Article 330, printed page 189
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1. In One Sentence

Mandates seat reservations in the Lok Sabha for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in proportion to their population in each State and Union territory.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 330 guarantees reserved representation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the House of the People (Lok Sabha).

The number of reserved seats in any State or Union territory is determined strictly on the basis of demographic proportionality: the ratio of reserved seats to total seats allotted to that State must reflect the ratio of SC or ST population to total state population.

Special protective provisions apply to the autonomous districts of Assam under clause (3).

The Explanation (amended by the 84th and 87th Amendments) freezes the population benchmark for delimitation to the 2001 census until figures from the first census taken after the year 2026 are published.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

In a state with 20 Lok Sabha seats where Scheduled Castes comprise 15% of the population, 3 seats are designated as SC reserved constituencies.

Core takeaway: Article 330(2) ensures that Parliamentary representation reflects the demographic strength of historically marginalized communities.

Illustrative Notice: While only SC candidates may contest in reserved constituencies, all registered electors of all communities in that constituency vote in the election.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 330 guarantees affirmative political representation for SC and ST communities in Parliament.

Proportionality rule: Seat allocations correspond as nearly as may be to census demographic proportions.
Assam autonomous districts: Specific safeguards guarantee representation proportional to tribal population in autonomous district areas.
Census freeze: Delimitation relies on the 2001 census benchmark until the post-2026 census results are officially published.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

(1) Seats shall be reserved in the House of the People for — (a) the Scheduled Castes; (b) the Scheduled Tribes except the Scheduled Tribes in the autonomous districts of Assam; and (c) the Scheduled Tribes in the autonomous districts of Assam. (2) The number of seats reserved in any State or Union territory for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes under clause (1) shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of seats allotted to that State or Union territory in the House of the People as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the State or Union territory or of the Scheduled Tribes in the State or Union territory or part of the State or Union territory, as the case may be, in respect of which seats are so reserved, bears to the total population of the State or Union territory. (3) Notwithstanding anything contained in clause (2), the number of seats reserved in the House of the People for the Scheduled Tribes in the autonomous districts of Assam shall bear to the total number of seats allotted to that State a proportion not less than the population of the Scheduled Tribes in the said autonomous districts bears to the total population of the State. Explanation.—In this article and in article 332, the expression “population” means the population as ascertained at the last preceding 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.

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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 XVI, Article 330, printed page 189 • 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