Assam Govt Likely to Begin Delimitation Exercise Soon: Report

Guwahati, February 21, 2020:

Assam is likely to begin fresh delimitation of assembly seats and readjustment of boundaries of the parliamentary constituencies very soon.

According to reports, a gazette notification regarding delimitation is likely to be issued at the earliest and accordingly, the Delimitation Commission will publish its draft proposals for Assam.

A time frame will also be given to the people and stakeholders to furnish their objections and suggestions. Subsequently, public sittings will be conducted by the Delimitation Commission in Assam to consider the objections and suggestions received from the public.

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The delimitation draft will be concluded after consultation with the public of Assam. It may be mentioned here that the constitutional and legal provisions of assembly and parliamentary constituencies allow for rework in the number of seats to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the House of the People and State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of 2001 census.

It also cites that each State shall be redelimited into territorial parliamentary and assembly constituencies on the basis of 2001 census and the extent of such constituencies as delimited now shall remain frozen till the first census to be taken after the year 2026.

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It may be mentioned, that the Centre had in January 2008 deferred the delimitation exercise Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh due to the prevailing situation.

The Gauhati High Court had also stayed the delimitation work in Assam along with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland on petitions challenging the legality of the 2001 census.

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