Delimitation becomes reality, 5 states excluded

NEW DELHI : With the Union Cabinet adopting an ordinance on Thursday to defer the delimitation in Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand, the stage is set for implementation of the exercise in the rest of the country.

With this move the government has prepared the ground for the holding the next Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for 2009, and a number of state elections in 2008 in redrawn constituencies.

Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, information and broadcasting minister, P R Dasmunsi said the government had accepted the delimitation exercise. “Only Jharkhand has been segregated from it.

Other states where delimitation has been carried out has been accepted and would be made into a law and signed by the President after which it will be notified. Based on that the elections will be held,” he said. He also said the amendments to the Delimitation Act, 2002, approved by the Cabinet, would take care of the concerns expressed in Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh due to the situation prevailing there. He said the ordinance would be placed in Parliament during the budget session.

Asked whether the next general election would be held under redrawn constituencies, Mr Dasmunsi said that was not the responsibility of the government but that the of the Election Commission. “I am saying that the government has accepted the report. It will be implemented,” he said.

With almost all political parties having agreed to Delimitation, the government is expected to implement the Delimitation Commission’s report soon. Some government sources indicated that before that, however, litigation and PILs against the implementation of Delimitation from the states would be bunched and sent to the Supreme Court.

These processes, according to other government sources, are slated to be completed very soon and then delimitation for the remaining states notified after that by a presidential order.

The exact timing of the notification is, however, a political decision that the Congress will have to take keeping in mind the Karnataka election, which being seen as the next big test for the Congress after their defeat in the Gujarat polls. Implementation of delimitation was discussed at a meeting of the extended Congress-core group at 10, Janpath, Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s residence on Thursday evening.

Delimitation process has been completed for 3,726 assembly constituencies and 513 Lok Sabha constituencies in 25 states. The commission, headed by Justice Kuldip Singh, had submitted its report to Parliament last month during the winter session of Parliament. A number of SC and ST Parliamentary and assembly constituencies will increase at the cost of general seats under the new delimitation exercise.