Assam CM: No Information When Delimitation Exercise Will End

Guwahati: The Assam Government is unaware of the anticipated completion date for the state’s constituency delimitation process.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said this during a Monday speech to the Assam Legislature.

According to Himanta Biswa Sarma, the opposition is welcome to ask the Election Commission of India (ECI) any questions they may have regarding the procedure when the ECI’s entire team visits the state the following week.

“The state government cannot say when the process will be completed as we are not directly or indirectly involved. EC is a central agency. Our work is only to provide the data,” CM Sarma said in reply to a question on the delimitation process by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed.

The chief minister announced that the procedure started on January 1.

The updating of the National Registry of Citizens (NRC) had not caused the delimitation exercise to freeze in the state, he claimed.

“The then Congress government had written to the delimitation commission that the law and order situation was not conducive for carrying out the process then. When we were asked if it can be done now, we said the situation is improved,” Sarma told the assembly.

Sarma urged the legislators to keep advocating for all localities in their district equally without making assumptions about which ones will be dropped once the delimitation process is finished.

“The full bench of the EC is coming here, and they will hold discussions with political parties and other stakeholders. I request all to place before them any misgivings and get the matters clarified,” he said.

According to Sarma, a subsequent delimitation exercise might take place if the process’ base year is altered nationwide.

A team from the Election Commission of India (ECI) will travel to Assam to assess the situation there and the expectations of stakeholders and the general public about the state’s ongoing delimitation exercise.

The Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, together with Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, have decided to visit Assam from March 26 to 28 to hold discussions with various groups, according to an official announcement on Saturday. The whole bench of the ECI will meet and hold conversations with various stakeholders, including political parties and civil society, prior to the delimitation exercise of the state’s seats.