Delimitation Detrimental to Indigenous Communities of NE?

Guwahati, February 29, 2020:

Upamanyu Hazarika, a senior advocate and political activist from Assam has opined that the "delimitation" in the Northeast Indian region could pose challenges to the indigenous natives in the area.

Hazarika has opined that the notification for delimitation of constituencies in the North-eastern states including Assam yesterday by the Central Government creates yet another fresh set of complications detrimental to the interests of the indigenous people.

"A delimitation exercise restores parity or equality between constituencies by either increasing the number of constituencies or re-drawing the boundaries of the existing constituencies by keeping the total number of constituencies intact", Hazarika has said.

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In either situation, particularly in Assam, the indigenous will stand to lose as the indigenous dominated constituencies in Middle and Upper Assam have less than half the population/the number of voters than in the migrant dominated constituencies, he said.

Hazarika has opined that the entire exercise being undertaken at this juncture prior to 2021 elections shows that the BJP-AGP alliance is not confident of retaining the indigenous vote which it got in the earlier election and therefore reduce the number of seats where the indigenous are in a majority.

"This de-limitation was stalled in 2008 by the Central Government itself on the ground that peace and public order was likely to be threatened and now because of an improvement in the security situation, the Government has found the situation opportune for this exercise" Hazarika has added.

Hazarika also says that on the face of it, the basis for this entire exercise is deeply flawed, firstly the law and order situation in Assam is very volatile with the Anti-CAA Movement going on in full swing, coupled with the agitation by the Non-Bodos in the BTAD areas.

The activist has also opined that the security situation's decline is evident from the increase in security for the Chief Minister and other Ministers who make only "scripted public appearances".

Secondly, the entire de-limitation exercise is based on the number of voters in any constituency, the BJP leaders including Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma while admitting that 70 lakh foreigners have been included in the NRC and therefore demanding re-verification of NRC have, on the other hand, by initiating this de-limitation exercise, only shown their duplicity.

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Opining on the NRC, Hazarika says that correct re-verification of NRC will exclude a large number of foreigners and give the correct picture of the number of citizens/voters per constituency and it is only after which should de-limitation be carried out. "But undertaking the de-limitation exercise without an NRC re-verification means that the Government and the leaders have no intention for re-verification of NRC", he says.

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