Elections to be held as per delimited constituencies

However, it would not apply to four north-eastern states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland – and Jharkhand.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided to recommend to the President to issue notifications at the earliest to implement the Delimitation Commission recommendations, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters.

The President would issue the notification in respect of 24 states and Union Territories.

"This will bring the new delimitation orders issued by the Delimitation Commission into force and pave the way for election to the House of the People and the Legislative Assembly of each State on the basis of new territorial constituencies," Dasmunsi said.

Asked about Karnataka where assembly polls are due, he said "the moment the notification is signed, the states go by the delimited constituencies".

The Cabinet also approved a proposal to supersede the earlier Delimitation Order of 1976 and to amend the Representation of the People Act 1950 to reflect the changes in reservation of SC and ST seats as per the newly delimited constituencies.

Government had earlier deferred the delimitation exercise in four North Eastern states and Jharkhand by approving amendments to the Delimitation Act 2002 and decided to promulgate an ordinance.

While the legality of delimitation in four north eastern states has been challenged in courts, in Jharkhand the number of ST seats has gone down after the exercise.