Arunachal Pradesh: Demand for early implementation of delimitation exercise

A CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh Delimitation Demand Committee (APDDC) has demanded the state government for the early implementation of the delimitation exercise for the re-adjustment of the Assembly constituency in the state.

Following the failure to act upon the demand, the committee shall take up legal action or may resort to democratic movement in the state.

The chairman of APDDC, Regum Nabam said that despite the passage of more than two decades, the state government is yet to implement delimitation in the state. Moreover, the response to the Supreme Court's direction on its implementation by the state government reasoning Covid-19 pandemic is not justified.

Nabam said that though the matter is sub-judice and the next hearing is on November 25, the SC had earlier directed the state government to implement delimitation in the state.

"We submitted a letter to the concerned department, to the Chief Minister as well as at the central level in the month of April 2022. Subsequently, the SC directed the state government to implement it. Surprisingly, the state government made the excuse of the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.

He said for the last two decades, the state government never conducted a census of the state. According to the SC ruling, delimitation should be conducted after every 10 years. Ignoring the process is against the interest of natural justice and equitable representation of people's democratic rights, he said.

"Moreover, our state is an ST state and ignoring it is ignoring the fair and effective representation of the community. The state government should uphold the public representation for a healthy democracy in the state," he said, adding that states like Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur are other north-eastern states where delimitation never happened.

He said the delimitation procedure will ensure proper representation of all tribes of the state. As of now, few districts have more assembly constituencies despite having less population. Whereas, there is also a district that needs more assembly constituency seats according to the present population.

"Therefore, we appeal to the state government and the delimitation commission office in specific to carry out the delimitation procedure as per the Delimitation Act, 2002," he added.

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