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Assam delimitation exercise requires wider consensus, says Congress
On Thursday met the Congress president and expressed concerns while continuing to oppose the steps taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the draft proposal of ‘delimitation’ in Assam
Opposition parties in Assam, including the Congress party, have opposed the proposed delimitation being carried out in the state. On Friday, Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge while criticising the delimitation exercise said it requires wider acceptance and consensus.
“This issue will be taken up on all appropriate forums. The delimitation exercise in Assam needs wider acceptance and consensus within the political spectrum,” Kharge in a tweet remarked.
This comes after 11 opposition parties, including the Assam Congress unit, on Thursday met the Congress president and expressed concerns while continuing to oppose the steps taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the draft proposal of ‘delimitation’ in Assam.
The ECI had on June 20 published the draft proposal for delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies for Assam.
Also Read: Proposed Assam delimitation may affect electoral fortunes of leaders
Reflecting on the meet, Kharge in a tweet said that a memorandum with regards to the collective objection of 11 opposition parties against the delimitation exercise in Assam would be submitted to ECI followed by a show of protest at Jantar Mantar, Delhi on Friday.
“Leaders of 11 opposition parties along with AICC General Secretary, Shri @JitendraSAlwar, Congress Party’s Deputy Leader (Lok Sabha), Shri @GouravAssam, PCC President, Shri @BhupenKBorah, CLP [Congress Legislative Party] Leader Shri @DsaikiaOfficial and other members of @INCAssam handed over a representation to me regarding our collective objections to the delimitation exercise in the state,” LoP Kharge wrote on Twitter while sharing a picture with the party leaders.
“A Memorandum in this regard will be given to the Election Commission. Today, these leaders will be sitting on a dharna at Jantar Mantar,” he added.
Against the backdrop of the delimitation exercise, Assam, including Silchar and Karimganj districts, has witnessed massive protests.
Last week, Assam Police detained around 553 people during a 12-hour-bandh called by the opposition parties against the delimitation draft proposal of assembly and parliamentary constituencies.
The draft triggered protests in the Barak Valley, which includes districts of Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi, as the number of assembly seats in the area is proposed to be reduced to 13 from 15.
Delimitation is the process of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and State Assembly constituencies based on a recent Census to ensure each seat has an almost equal number of voters. It is ideally carried out every few years after a Census by an independent Delimitation Commission formed under the provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act.
The release of the draft for the delimitation of assembly and parliamentary seats in Assam has led to a war of words between the ruling BJP and the Opposition. Though there is no change in the number of assembly and Lok Sabha seats — 126 and 14 respectively — the draft has redrawn areas of almost all constituencies, leading to much heartburn. The last delimitation exercise in Assam took place nearly five decades ago in 1976
