Delimitation throws Barak Valley politics into uncertainty

 A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: The political future of two heavyweights of Barak Valley, Dr. Rajdeep Roy and Susmita Dev, was pushed to utter uncertainty as the draft delimitation proposed the Silchar Lok Sabha seat as reserved for the scheduled caste.

On the other hand, the bordering constituency of Karimganj was relieved of the reservation tag for the first time after Independence. The Draft Delimitation, published by the Election Commission on Tuesday, has loads of surprise elements for the Barak Valley, as two Assembly segments under the Karimganj Lok Sabha seat were proposed to be chopped off. These two constituencies are Patharkandi in the Karimganj district and Katlicherra in the Hailakandi district. The number of Assembly segments in the three districts of Barak Valley had thus been reduced to 13 from 15.

State’s Minister Parimal Suklabaidya had reacted sharply to the draught delimitation as Dholai, the constituency he had been representing in the Assembly for decades, has been renamed Narsingpur. Suklabaidya said the Election Commission should explain on what basis this had been done. He further said Karimganj should have remained a reserved constituency. Interestingly, Suklabaidya was reportedly counted as one of the probable candidates in Silchar if the constituency was finally reserved for the SC community.

Susmita Dev, a former Congress MP from Silchar who now represents West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha as a TMC member, said she would comment only after perusing through the draft. Susmita’s Rajya Sabha term would expire in August this year. Sources close to her hinted that she might wait until the 2026 Assembly election and contest from Borkhola.

Dr. Rajdeep Roy, on the other hand, maintained that it was just a draft and the final delimitation would be sealed after claims and objections. He, however, made it clear that since the delimitation process was being done in accordance with legal provisions and the constitution, he would welcome whatever the final result was. Sources in the saffron brigade, however, hinted that there were chances that Karimganj MP Kripanath Mallah might be fielded as the BJP candidate in Silchar, and Rajdeep Roy might contest from Karimganj. Gautam Roy, a former Congress Minister who joined the BJP and unsuccessfully contested the 2021 Assembly election from Katigorah, had already hinted that he would throw himself into the race for the Karimganj LS seat.

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