Assam delimitation draft: What it proposes, why it has led to protests
- The Election Commission (EC) released a draft delimitation document for Assam, proposing a change in boundaries of several Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies of the state.
What is delimitation?
- Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats to represent changes in population.
- Its aim is to provide equal representation for equal population segments, to ensure that no political party has an advantage.
- Delimitation is a constitutional exercise carried out based on preceding Census figures (Year 2001 in this case).
Why is it being done in Assam?
- The delimitation process was done in the whole country in 2008
- But it was deferred in Assam (as well as some other Northeastern states) citing security concerns of the time.
- A 2020 notification from the Law Ministry officially revived the exercise in Assam.
Highlights of the proposal
- The number of seats have been retained
- The EC has proposed changes in geographical boundaries,
- Also, the number of reserved constituencies for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC) have been increased.
- Districts with autonomous councils (administered under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution) got more seats
- While the constituencies were delimited on the basis of census figures of 2001, the EC also took in the views and suggestions of political parties and various organisations.
Why has it run into controversy?
- The ruling party has welcomed the proposal for “protecting indigenous interests”
- But different political parties and groups have alleged that the draft is partisan, stating that the draft divides voters on religious lines.
- They allege, if the proposal is implemented, the minority community would “suffer major losses politically”
Will it affect anything else?
- Constituencies of several sitting legislators and parliamentarians may be impacted by virtue of a change in its reservation status or because it has ceased to exist all together