Delimitation exercise will pave way for Assamese people to have a decisive say in 92-93 seats: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on July 18 said that the delimitation exercise will allow Assamese people to have a significant voice in 92–93 seats rather than just 75–76 seats. 

Taking to the micro-blogging site Twitter, Sarma further said that after the NRC and the Assam Accord, the Assamese people will be at a loss if they go by the Congress conspiracy theory.

''The delimitation exercise will pave the way for Assamese people to have a decisive say in 92-93 seats, instead of 75-76 seats. If we fall for Cong's conspiracy theory, people of Assam will be at loss for a third consecutive time, after NRC and Assam Accord,'' he tweeted.

It is worth mentioning that ever since the process of the delimitation exercise started, the political parties in Assam are expressing their dissatisfaction over the exercise being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) instead of a Delimitation Commission.

In this regard, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has approached Supreme Court (SC). The party is contending that amendments made to relevant Acts in 2008 by the UPA government granted the ECI delimitation powers without sufficient accountability. 

Speaking at a press conference, Aminul Islam, the AIUDF's organizational general secretary, and MLA, said, "We have challenged those amendments which handed over the delimitation power to the ECI. Because of the amendments, ECI can now form guidelines on its own and carry out delimitation without any accountability to anyone." 
The party insists that delimitation should continue to be the exclusive domain of the Delimitation Commission, which has historically been responsible for such exercises since India's independence.

Meanwhile, the delimitation process in Assam has reached a critical stage as the ECI has received an overwhelming response from the public. A total of 467 suggestions and objections have been submitted from 31 districts across the state.

From the 31 districts in Assam, citizens and various stakeholders have come forward to voice their concerns, suggestions, and objections regarding the draft notification published by the Election Commission on June 20, 2023.

Also read: Assam: Three fake exam candidates arrested in Cachar