Filling of seats in the House of the People and Parliamentary constituencies

In force From 12 May 1950 Act 43 of 1950 As on 15 Oct 2026

Act 43 of 1950 Ministry Law and Justice Enacted 12 May 1950 In force 12 May 1950 Cited by 1 provision

Section 4 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 deals with filling of seats in the House of the People and Parliamentary constituencies. All the seats in the House of the People allotted to the States under section 3 shall be seats to be filled by persons chosen by direct election from parliamentary constituencies in the States.] (3) Every parliamentary constituency referred to in sub-section (2) shall be a single-member constituency. The Act came into force on 12 May 1950.

¹[4. Filling of seats in the House of the People and parliamentary constituencies. -- ²***
³[(2) All the seats in the House of the People allotted to the States under section 3 shall be seats to be filled by persons chosen by direct election from parliamentary constituencies in the States.]
(3) Every parliamentary constituency referred to in sub-section (2) shall be a single-member constituency.
(4) Every State to which only one seat is allotted under section 3 shall form one parliamentary constituency.
⁴[(5) Save as provided in sub-section (4), the extent of all parliamentary constituencies except the parliamentary constituencies in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland shall be as determined by the orders of the Delimitation Commission made under the provisions of the Delimitation Act, 2002 (33 of 2002) and the extent of the parliamentary constituencies in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland shall be as provided for in the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008 having regard to the provisions of sections 10A and 10B of the Delimitation Act, 2002.]]
Section 4, The Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Act 43 of 1950).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

This section refers to

Referred to by 1

s. 8 Consolidation of delimitation orders

Related judgements & precedents

These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.

Youaraj Rai vs Chander Bahadur Karki

Supreme Court of India 15 Dec 2006 Binding (SC)

Court's Decision & Legal Precedent

In an election to a Legislative Assembly (single-member constituencies), the limitation period of 45 days prescribed under Section 81 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 for filing an election petition commences from the date on which the returned candidate is declared elected by the Returning Officer under Section 53 (for uncontested elections) or Section 66 (for contested elections), not from the date of publication of overall election results under Section 73. The term 'election' in Section 81 refers to the election in a particular constituency, not the entirety of elections held in the State. The second part of Section 81 (relating to multiple returned candidates with different election dates) applies only to Legislative Council and Council of States elections, not to Legislative Assembly elections.

On this section: As amended in 1975 and 1980; declares that every Parliamentary Constituency and every Assembly Constituency shall be single-member constituency

Read the full order on eCourts India

The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.

Questions about Section 4

What have the courts held on Section 4 of the Representation of the People Act?

Youaraj Rai vs Chander Bahadur Karki (15 Dec 2006) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: As amended in 1975 and 1980; declares that every Parliamentary Constituency and every Assembly Constituency shall be single-member constituency.

How do I find court cases under Section 4 of the Representation of the People Act?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Representation of the People Act 4, section 4 Representation of the People Act, section 4 of the Representation of the People Act. People searching for it also type section 35 4 representation of the people act rpa 1983 and schedule 4 to the representation of the people act 2000. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Youaraj Rai vs Chander Bahadur Karki (15 Dec 2006).

What should I read with Section 4 of the Representation of the People Act, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on Delimitation Act 10A (Deferment of delimitation in certain cases), Delimitation Act 10B (Delimitation Commission's order with respect to the State of Jharkhand not to have any legal effect), section 3 (Allocation of seats in the House of the People), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it.

When did Section 4 of the Representation of the People Act come into force?

Section 4 of the Representation of the People Act, cited as Representation of the People Act 4, came into force on 12 May 1950, having been enacted on 12 May 1950. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.