Opposition to Assam delimitation proposal grows

A civil society group in Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley has criticised the draft delimitation proposal, while criticising CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for “bigoted” remarks related to the redrawing and renaming of the constituencies.

GUWAHATI

A civil society group in Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley has slammed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for the “ghettoisation” of some Assembly constituencies, that they said would be the result of the Election Commission’s draft proposal for delimitation.

According to the draft published in June, the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in the State will remain unchanged at 14 and 126. But four Assembly seats have been moved from the general to the reserved categories, and three have been included in the Bodoland Territorial Council.

Also read | Assam Opposition parties protest against draft delimitation proposal

Some constituencies, both Parliamentary and Assembly, are proposed to be renamed and the boundaries of many would be redrawn, allegedly to reduce the power of Muslim voters. Among the other proposals is giving the reserved (Scheduled Caste) tag of Karimganj Lok Sabha seat to Silchar instead, both in southern Assam’s Barak Valley.

In a statement on July 12, the Axom Nagarik Samaj opposed the draft delimitation proposal while criticising Dr. Sarma for “bigoted” remarks related to the redrawing and renaming of the constituencies.

“On June 23, he [the CM] stated that the draft delimitation proposal would achieve what the 1985 Assam Accord and the National Register of Citizens could not. He said that once it is implemented, the people of Assam will be dominant in 102 constituencies and will be able to elect their representatives,” the Samaj statement said.