Boro Somaj demands creation of Udalguri as 2nd ST HPC in BTR

KOKRAJHAR: The Boro Somaj has demanded creation of Udalguri as 2nd ST reserved seat in BTC to ensure more political power to the tribal people.

In a press statement, the president of Boro Somaj Benudhar Basumatary said, “Our attention has been drawn to the delimitation draft document for the state of Assam, published recently by the Election Commission of India (ECI). He said as found from the official notification, ECI has retained the number of Parliamentary Constituencies at 14 and LACs at 126 for the state of Assam while doing so, the boundaries of almost all the constituencies, both Parliamentary and State Assembly, have been redrawn, some of these quite irrationally. He said some constituencies across the state had been made defunct and new LACs have been created at other locations.

For example, KAAC and Dima Hasao ADC have together got one new LAC making a total of six. The pertinent point is that while all six LACs in KAAC and Dima Hasao ADC are reserved for STs as per guiding provisions of 6th Schedule of Indian Constitution, in BTR, which is also governed by provisions of 6th Schedule of Indian Constitution, only six of as many as 15 LACs are reserved for STs. On the top of it, only Kokrajhar Parliamentary Constituency comprising 9 LACs out of 15 LACs within BTR, has been continued as reserved for ST, he said adding that the remaining 6 LACs under BTR have been left to be added to newly nomenclature unreserved Darrang Parliamentary Constituency in blatant disregard of the longstanding popular demand of BTR population for creation of 2nd ST reserved Udalguri Parliamentary Constituency with the remaining LACs in BTR itself.

Basumatary said the ECI has cited the changes in demographic and population compositions as the basis of such makeovers.

Notably, statewide the total number of ST reserved LACs has been increased by 3 to 19 while SC reserved LACs is increased by one to 9. He thanked the ECI and Assam Government for this.

It’s worth mentioning that the long-desired creation of the BTR was primarily directed to the self-determination and all-round development in economical, social educational fields and protection of land and political rights as provided by the Constitution of India. The schedule of Indian constitution in BTR is also for the same purpose only, whereas the direct implications of the delimitation draft document as it appears is not in the line of constitutional guarantee to the Bodos in the state of Assam, he said adding that it’s rather apprehended that Bodos would soon become irrelevant, not only politically but in all other fronts, if these draft proposals are implemented without any further modifications. Therefore Dularai Boro Somaj, a national organization of Bodo society has taken a serious note on the above stated discrepancies in the draft delimitation document, he said.

The Dularai Boro Somaj finds it imperative on its part to submit to the authorities concerned, the ECI and Assam State Government in particular, the following points for their immediate attention and necessary correction while finalizing the delimitation process.

The Somaj thanked the ECI and Assam Government for retaining Kokrajhar Parliamentary Constituency as reserved for STs. They also demanded that Udalguri should be declared as another ST reserved Parliamentary Constituency comprising remaining LACs within BTR.

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