Article 330 — Article 330 — Reservation of Seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the House of the People

(1) Seats shall be reserved in the House of the People for — (a) the Scheduled Castes; (b) the Scheduled Tribes, except the Scheduled Tribes in the autonomous districts of Assam; and (c) the Scheduled Tribes in the autonomous districts of Assam.

Source: Constitution of India, as published by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The reservation of parliamentary seats was intended as a 10-year temporary measure to ensure communities historically excluded from political power had guaranteed representation. It has been extended every 10 years, most recently until 2030 by the 104th Amendment (2020). The reservation is by geography (constituencies), not by separate electorates: all voters in a constituency vote but only SC/ST candidates can contest. This approach was adopted following the Poona Pact of 1932 between B. R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, which replaced the separate electorate system proposed in the Communal Award with reserved constituencies.

• 104th Amendment (2020) — Extended reservation of seats for SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years, until 2030.

• Article 332
• Article 16
• Article 15
• Article 46

Last reviewed: 3 July 2026