Article 332 is a constitutional provision in Part XVI of the Constitution of India that mandates the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Legislative Assembly of every State. The provision was included to ensure political representation and participation in governance for these historically disadvantaged communities, thereby strengthening social justice and democratic participation.
The concept originated in the Constituent Assembly as Draft Article 294, which initially reserved seats for Muslims, SCs, STs, and Indian Christians, but the reservations for religious minorities were later removed. The original provision, which came into effect in 1950, was intended to be temporary, with a 10-year time limit.
Article 332 works by reserving a number of seats in the State Legislative Assembly that bears, as nearly as possible, the same proportion to the total number of seats as the population of the SCs or STs in the State bears to the total population of the State (Clause 3). Only candidates belonging to the respective SC or ST community can contest elections from these reserved constituencies. The Delimitation Commission of India determines these reserved constituencies based on population data.
This provision is closely connected to Article 330, which provides for the reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The reservation under Article 332 was initially temporary but has been periodically extended through constitutional amendments. The most recent change was the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019, which extended the reservation for SCs and STs in both the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies until January 25, 2030. The same amendment also discontinued the special representation of the Anglo-Indian community in the Legislative Assemblies, which was provided for under Article 333. Furthermore, the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act added Article 332A, which mandates the reservation of seats for women in the Legislative Assemblies of the States, including a sub-quota for women belonging to SCs and STs.