Thiruvananthapuram: With the Union government initiating preparations to redraw India’s electoral map, Kerala’s long-standing figure of 140 assembly constituencies may lose its political significance in the upcoming delimitation.

The exact number of constituencies for the 2031 elections will only be confirmed after the next census and subsequent delimitation.

Parliamentary constituencies and the corresponding state assembly constituencies will be adjusted during the delimitation process. While there were concerns that states with slower population growth might lose parliamentary seats, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently dismissed such worries.

Kerala has had 20 Lok Sabha seats and 140 assembly constituencies for over half a century. The first assembly election in 1957 had 114 constituencies, and with 12 double-member constituencies, 126 members were elected. In the 1961 delimitation, the number of constituencies rose to 133.

The 1977 assembly election was the first to feature 140 constituencies. The 2008 delimitation redrew boundaries but did not change the total number of seats.

Speculation is rife regarding the next delimitation. Population growth may increase the number of constituencies, and with a proposed one-third reservation for women, the total Lok Sabha seats in India could rise from 543 to 816. Kerala’s 140 constituencies were determined when the population was 21.3 million; by 2011, it had grown to 33.4 million. The next census will provide updated figures.

Following the upcoming delimitation, Kerala could have up to 30 Lok Sabha seats and 210 assembly constituencies.