GUWAHATI
Opposition parties in Assam have slammed the Election Commission’s (EC) proposal to redraw the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in the State, although the numbers remained unchanged at 14 and 126 respectively.
The poll body published the draft delimitation proposals on June 20.
Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah sniffed a conspiracy behind the EC’s rush to publish the draft when the Supreme Court has been hearing the matter.
“The apex court fixed July 25 as the final date of hearing on the delimitation plan. It is surprising that the EC did not wait for the Supreme Court’s judgement,” he said, adding that the EC failed to respond to certain clarifications Congress had sought on the exercise.
“The EC appears to have become an extended arm of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Mr. Borah said.
Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia said his party has never been against delimitation but the exercise could have waited till the streamlining of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for proper reflection of the State’s demography.
The minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) also sniffed a “nexus” among the EC, the BJP and Congress.
“It is ridiculous that this delimitation exercise is based on the 2001 census when the last delimitation in 1976 was based on the 1971 census. The exercise for Assam could have been along with the rest of the country in 2026 and based on the 2011 census,” AIUDF chief, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal said.
He also said the redrawing of the Assembly constituencies – apart from a change in names, the geographical boundaries of many seats are proposed to be altered – has been done to reduce the number of Muslim-majority seats.
“The delimitation process is politically motivated and communal. It is being done according to an understanding between the BJP and Congress to increase their seats and finish off parties like ours,” Mr. Ajmal said.
While the Raijor Dal said the EC’s draft had a “saffron flavour”, the Assam Jatiya Parishad said the exercise based on the 2001 census would deprive the indigenous communities.
“The increase in the number of reserved seats (the constituencies for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes have been proposed to be increased from 24 to 28) will help the BJP’s vote bank,” Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi said.
The ruling BJP and its ally, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) also found fault with the draft proposal.
“I am saddened that Jalukbari, the Assembly constituency I have represented since 2001, is being divided into three parts. But the draft proposal is welcome because it reflects the sentiments of the people,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“My constituency, Amguri is proposed to be eliminated. We will protest this move when the EC team visits Assam,” AGP legislator Prodip Hazarika said.
The EC team is scheduled to visit the State after going through suggestions and objections invited by July 11.
