Defer constituency delimitation till NRC update: Debabrata Saikia to CEC

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA), Debabrata Saikia, demanded the Chief Election Commission of India postpone the delimitation process in Assam till the NRC is completed and the new census after 2021 is done to increase Assembly seats.

In a letter to CEC Rajiv Kumar, Saikia reminded the CEC what he had told him at their last meeting in the first week of January 2023 on the merger of districts by the Assam Government.

Saikia said, “I verbally mentioned the merger of districts by the Assam Government ahead of the delimitation exercise with a malafide motive, and to support my claim, I had emailed a video clip and transcription of the Assam CM’s telephone talk, wherein you had assured me that you would look into the matter and get back to me with regard to my complaint. Though the ECI computer system status showed that my complaint had been addressed by the Competent Authority, until July 10, 2023, neither the ECI nor CEO, Assam, had addressed the complaint.” Saikia said, “The delimitation draft of Assam prepared by ECI is not as per the guidelines framed by the Delimitation Commission for the delimitation process of LACs or HPCs. The geographical contiguity has not been maintained. The public has been put at great inconvenience by the proposed draft.”

Saikia further said that the issues due to which delimitation was stopped in 2008, like the preparation of the NRC, a fresh voter list based on the NRC, etc., have not been resolved till now. “So, it is not proper to hurt the sentiments of the people, as even now many communities and organisations are openly protesting against the proposed draft. The move by ECI on delimitation has created hatred and ill feelings between different castes and communities in Assam and hurt the sentiments of the people of Assam,” he said.

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