CM Himanta Defends Assam Delimitation, Accuses Congress of Gerrymandering Claim

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday pushed back sharply against Congress's criticism of the state's 2023 delimitation exercise, accusing the party of misusing the term "gerrymandering" to mislead voters and undermine what he described as a long-overdue electoral correction.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister said the delimitation was "not a conspiracy but a necessary and overdue exercise" aimed at fixing decades of political imbalance that previous governments had allowed to persist.

Congress Ignored Demographic Shifts, Says CM

Sarma alleged that earlier governments — particularly those led by the Congress — had deliberately turned a blind eye to significant demographic changes in several regions, especially in Lower Assam, in order to protect their vote-bank interests.

"The real distortion of representation happened in the past when changing population patterns were overlooked to suit vote-bank politics," he said, adding that the current delimitation seeks to bring constituencies in line with ground realities.

He maintained that the objective of the exercise was to "restore balance" and ensure fair political representation for indigenous communities — and described the current arrangement as a "stop-gap measure" to address concerns around illegal migration and demographic shifts.

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What the 2023 Delimitation Involved

The delimitation of Assam's assembly and parliamentary constituencies was undertaken by the Election Commission of India under the Delimitation Act, using the 2001 Census as the base data.

Finalised in August 2023, the process redrew the boundaries of all 126 Assembly and 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, with the stated focus on rationalising population distribution, geographical contiguity, and administrative convenience.

The exercise also led to a reconfiguration of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, reflecting their population share more accurately.

Boundary changes in several minority-dominated constituencies triggered political reactions from parties across the spectrum.

Opposition Calls It Gerrymandering — BJP Strongly Disagrees

Opposition parties, led by the Congress, have consistently characterised the exercise as gerrymandering — alleging that the redrawn boundaries disproportionately affect certain communities while benefiting the ruling dispensation.

The BJP has firmly rejected that charge, and CM Sarma used Sunday's remarks to sharpen that rebuttal.

He said those opposing the delimitation were "uncomfortable" precisely because it disrupted a system that had historically worked in their favour — and reiterated that the exercise reflects the genuine aspirations of the people of Assam.