Amidst stripped-shirt demonstrations and vehement objections, the report's revisions ignited a fierce debate over constituency boundaries and political representation.
A wave of dissent swept through Assam's Sivasagar district on Saturday, as impassioned protestors took to the streets to denounce the final delimitation report for assembly and parliamentary constituencies. Demonstrators stripped off their shirts in a symbolic gesture of objection, while concerns reverberated over the unaddressed demands for seat reservations and the reconfiguration of district boundaries.
The released final report, published on Friday, upheld the number of assembly constituencies at 126 and Lok Sabha seats at 14, yet intricately altered the names of one parliamentary and 19 assembly constituencies as outlined in the preliminary notification. The Election Commission (EC) had meticulously conducted the delimitation exercise, according to PTI.
Tensions escalated due to the absence of reservation for the Morigaon assembly constituency, an alteration that fueled discontent. Local voices also clamored against the division of Lahowal and Amguri assembly constituencies within Sivasagar district and the inclusion of Sivasagar areas in neighboring districts.
Protestors voiced their grievances against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and local MLA Pradip Hazarika, both of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a partner in the ruling BJP-led coalition. The frustration manifested as protestors shed their shirts in a powerful assertion of objection.
The opposition Raijor Dal joined the chorus, blocking the national highway near Sivasagar town in their resistance against the delimitation report. Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi contended that the final EC order's fate remains intertwined with the Supreme Court's ruling on a petition filed by multiple political parties, challenging the entire delimitation process.
The All Tiwa Students Association voiced its discontent over the exclusion of Morigaon assembly constituency from Scheduled Tribes (STs) reservation. Expressing dismay, the association questioned the government's commitment to Tiwa indigenous rights.
Opposition parties castigated the final delimitation report, attributing it to a strategic maneuver by the ruling BJP to secure its political future. They argued that the EC had inadequately addressed objections from political entities and individuals alike.
Responding to the backlash, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma maintained that the final notification incorporated several recommendations put forth by the state government in alignment with public demands.
The redrawing of all assembly and parliamentary constituencies hinged on the 2001 census, marking the first delimitation exercise since 1976, conducted based on the 1971 Census.