The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi MLAs await analysis of Assembly segments

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Saturday, Aug 09, 2008
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Delhi MLAs await analysis of Assembly segments

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Assumes significance in view of delimitation of constituencies

Special Branch of Delhi Police is said to be preparing a profile of all MLAs
Questionnaire has details relevant to the candidates in fighting upcoming elections

NEW DELHI: Faced with the prospect of fighting elections from “new constituencies” as all Delhi Assembly segments have changed following the delimitation exercise recently, MLAs across the Capital are eagerly awaiting an analysis being compiled by the Special Branch of the Delhi police on all the constituencies.

The Delhi police are understood to be preparing a “party-wise profile of existing MLA of each constituency”. Police personnel are using a 15-point questionnaire to gather the data, said an MLA.

While the police are collecting the data on the basis of the existing constituencies, it can be easily collated to arrive at the figures for the new constituencies.

The questionnaire contains details relevant to the candidates in fighting the elections. These include “religion-wise percentage of votes”, segregating the voters into Hindu, Muslim, Sikhs and Christians. It also includes “caste-wise percentage of voters” that is divided into reserved categories such as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the unreserved category.

The profile also provides details on “State-wise and profession-wise percentage of voters.” At a time when politicians here are pondering whether major issues such as sealing and demolition and regularisation of unauthorised colonies would be able to tilt the balance of votes one way or the other, the profile also has a section dedicated to these issues. It judges “achievements and non-achievements” of MLAs on the basis of “major and minor issues such as sealing, demolition, regularisation and non regularisation of unauthorised colonies” and their likely impact on the elections. The profile also has the potential of providing the sitting MLAs and their rivals an insight into their popularity or the lack of it in their constituency as it has a section on “general impression of the public regarding the MLA”. A senior police officer, however, denied that a questionnaire was on. “The exercise would only begin after the candidates are finalised for all the constituencies. Many of the old constituencies now cease to exist and new ones have been formed after delimitation.”

However, a senior MLA said the exercise had begun in July and has almost been concluded by the police who are now collating the data.

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