Foundation stone laying for new Odisha Assembly building sparks delimitation debate

The debate over delimitation, or reorganisation of Assembly constituencies, has resurfaced in Odisha following Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently laying the foundation stone for the construction of a new Assembly building in Bhubaneswar.

Also Read: Odisha CM signals ‘delimitation’ move; MLA strength may increase to 200

The development has reignited questions over whether the number of Assembly seats in the State will increase, and if so, then by how much.

The last delimitation exercise in Odisha was carried out in 2007 and implemented during the 2009 General Elections. While several constituencies were restructured at that time, the total number of Assembly seats remained unchanged at 147.

Earlier, based on the 1971 Census, delimitation was conducted ahead of the 1974 elections, when the number of Assembly seats increased from 140 to 147.

Despite another reorganisation in 2007–08, the total seat count remained frozen at 147.

However, Odisha’s population has almost doubled—from around 2.19 crore in 1971 to over 4.5 crore at present. Considering this sharp rise, experts believe that a future delimitation exercise could result in an increase of more than 50 Assembly seats.

If delimitation takes place, many large constituencies are expected to be split. As per the 2025 voter list, 32 Assembly constituencies in Odisha have more than 2.5 lakh voters.

Patnagarh has the highest number of voters at over 3.09 lakh, making its reorganisation almost certain. Bhubaneswar-North and Kantabanji follow closely with over 2.9 lakh and 2.83 lakh voters, respectively.

Other constituencies with over 2.7 lakh voters include Padampur, Bhadrak, Basudevpur, Dhenkanal, Mahanga and Bhubaneswar-Ekamra, all of which may also be reorganised.

Several seats with more than 2.5 lakh voters—such as Rajgangpur, Jaleswar, Chandbali, Titilagarh, Barabati-Cuttack, Khordha, Rayagada and Malkangiri—could also be divided into smaller constituencies.

If delimitation is implemented, the total strength of the Odisha Legislative Assembly crossing 200 seats would not be surprising. However, the exact number will only become clear once the delimitation process is officially carried out.

“Presently, the strength of the Legislative Assembly is 147 and around 3-4 more seats are also there (for the MLAs) to sit. If the number of MLAs increases due to delimitation, what is being heard, and I am not even sure of it, there is a probability of an increase in the strength by 50 seats more. It could increase up to a total of 200 MLA seats,” the CM had said.

“If we target the next 50 or 100 years, why not make provision for 100 more seats from now?” the CM had expressed on January 12.