The Hindu : National : Delimitation panel: no manipulation

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Thursday, Jun 21, 2007
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Delimitation panel: no manipulation

Legal Correspondent

Work completed in 20 States
Reservation done strictly in keeping with law
Commission has to readjust constituencies

New Delhi: The Delimitation Commission has denied the charge that it is manipulating the exercise in various States.

The Commission says there is total transparency in its working. “The Commission cannot and would not permit gerrymandering which is anathema to the delimitation process.” It has completed its work 20 States: Goa, Puducherry, Tripura, Mizoram, Kerala, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Delhi, Gujarat, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh.”

As for Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya, the delimitation of constituencies is likely to be notified shortly. In Manipur, the High Court has struck down the 2001 census figures and the matter is pending in the Supreme Court. The Commission is in the final stage of its work in Assam and Jharkhand.

Time-consuming

Ninety per cent work has been completed. “All constituencies have been formed in accordance with the Delimitation Act and guidelines. Work in respect of about 500 Lok Sabha constituencies and more than 3,500 Assembly constituencies has been completed and finalised. The Commission’s work is gigantic and time consuming. The delimitation exercise is being done after 30 years. The population since the 1971 census has increased by almost 87 per cent. The 2001 population being the base for the delimitation exercise, there are bound to be changes in the formation of constituencies. To illustrate, the outer Delhi parliamentary constituency has a 38-lakh population, whereas Chandni Chowk has only 4.5 lakh. The Commission has to readjust the constituencies to uniform the population base.

“The process of delimitation in terms of the Delimitation Act 2002 is mandatory and is followed by the Commission meticulously. The statutory provisions on consulting associate members, inviting suggestions and objections from the public and holding public sittings are being followed.”

Meetings are held with the associate members before preparing the draft proposals. Every constituency in the working paper is discussed with them and their views are given due importance. Reservation for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes is done strictly in accordance with the law.

Only those constituencies where the ST/ST population is comparatively large are reserved. Where there is a cluster of SC seats, the Commission makes an effort to distribute them; however, in the process a constituency with a small SC population cannot be reserved, leaving the one with a large SC population.

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