GUWAHATI: In a significant development, ten opposition parties from Assam have approached the Supreme Court of India to challenge the draft proposal of the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the delimitation of 126 assembly constituencies and 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.
The 10 opposition parties include the Indian National Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Anchalik Gana Morcha.
The petitioners have raised concerns about Section 8A of the Representation of People Act, 1950, which forms the statutory foundation for the ECI's exercise of power.
As per reports, the opposition leaders have argued that population density should not be a determining factor in the delimitation process.
The challenge also extends to recent proposals made by the ECI, which involve readjusting the boundaries of the 126 Assembly and 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam. The draft order, issued on June 20, has come under scrutiny by the opposition parties.
The petition filed through advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi states, "While the Constitution of India envisions a fair exercise of readjusting constituencies to ensure nearly equal population representation, the Election Commission has classified districts into three categories and applied different yardsticks for each category, leading to a potential deviation of up to 33 per cent between the population of the largest and smallest constituencies."
Adding to their concerns, the opposition leaders have highlighted public statements made by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. In these statements, the Chief Minister reportedly suggested that the current delimitation exercise would benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while posing challenges to other opposition parties.
The matter has now been brought before the Supreme Court, and the opposition leaders await a decision on the legality and fairness of the Election Commission's delimitation proposals for Assam.