Delimitation work of Manipur to be over in two months

New Delhi, Dec19 : The process for delimitation of constituencies has entered its final leg with the resumption of delimitation work in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. The work in these North-Eastern States was held up due to the stay order of Guwahati High Court on account of petitions challenging the legality of the 2001 Census. With the stay being vacated by the Supreme Court recently, the delimitation work is going to be over very soon.
The Delimitation Commission of India Chairperson Justice Kul-deep Singh told The Indian Express that the Commission is going to complete the readjustment of constituencies in these States within two months.
“After the vacation of the stay by the SC, the work is going in full speed and we hope to complete it in two months. With this, the work of the Commission will be over,” said Singh.
However, when asked whether the delimitation orders would be implemented in the next general elections, Singh said that it was for the Government to decide whether it wanted to hold the elections on the basis of the readjustment done by the Commission. “The Commission was entrusted with the task of delimiting the constituencies on the basis of the latest Census figures. Except for the delay on account of Court orders, the Commission has completed its work, and whatever is left will be completed very soon. It is for the Government now to notify these orders so that the readjustment can be implemented,” said Singh.
The Commission, constituted in 2002, started its work from June 2004 on the basis of 2001 Census figures, for the readjustment of the territorial constituencies and to refix the seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly Constituencies of the States.
The report of the Commission has already been laid in the Parliament.
The delay in implementation of the orders has been challenged in the the Supreme Court and the Court has issued notice to the Centre to explain the reasons for the delay. Now, with the Commission saying that it would complete the exercise in next two months, the Government is hardly left with an excuse to delay it any further.
The ‘what’ and ‘when’ of Delimitation literally means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body.
In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted four times — in 1952, 1963, 1973 and in 2002.
The delimitation exercise becomes necessary due to changes in demographic profile. With increase in population and migration of people, the territorial boundaries of constituencies needs readjustment to uniform the population base.
Moreover, change in population of SC/STs also necessitates reservation of new seats.
(Courtesy Indian Express)