Need to maintain sanctity of the delimitation process
India is nearing its date with a comprehensive redrawing of parliamentary and legislative assembly constituencies in 2026. Though the exercise would be conducted after the 2031 census, the process may well start in 2026. The number of seats have remained frozen since 1976 when political parties decided to defer delimitation for 25 years till 2001. In 2001, they deferred it for another 25 years till 2026.
Meanwhile, the government has asked the Election Commission to redraw constituencies in Assam. That raised questions about singling out Assam. Social groups and political parties objected even to the EC’s process and the timing. A constitutionally mandated exercise should inspire confidence among all sections because constituencies are like building blocks of democracy. The people must always be reassured that the edifice of our parliamentary democracy stands on a solid foundation. Questions were also raised over the decision of the government and the EC to use different yardsticks for delimitation in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir. In J&K, the delimitation was carried out using the 2011 census data, while in Assam the election commission is using data from the 2001 census. Another objection is to the hasty merger of four districts into their parent districts by the Assam government. The critics said the government’s move was to beat the election commission’s deadline of January 1, 2023, to freeze the administrative units in the state. The merger was done purely to influence the socio-religious composition of constituencies.
The state government’s "administrative exigencies" argument has few takers. The exercise in Assam is just the beginning. It has given important lessons for the 2026 delimitation. The new constituency map India will draw up in 2026 will remain in use for the next 50 years. Rules need to be framed for the non-partisan and non-controversial conduct of the 2026 exercise. The southern states are already apprehensive about the next round of delimitation. They have vigorously implemented family planning measures. In contrast, northern and eastern states have witnessed a population explosion. If the next delimitation is undertaken on the basis of numbers, the southern states will be net losers in terms of seats in parliament, as Article 81 of the Constitution requires that each state must get representation based on its population.