New Delhi (Agency): On Friday, the Election Commission (EC) revealed its ultimate decisions about redrawing the election areas in Assam. While the total counts remain the same with 126 assembly and 14 parliamentary constituencies, there have been changes in the names. One parliamentary area and 19 assembly areas have received new names.
The EC provided some detailed information in their announcement. They said that among the total constituencies, 19 assembly and two parliamentary areas will be set aside for Scheduled Tribes (STs). Additionally, one parliamentary and nine assembly areas are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs).
A significant amount of feedback was collected and considered by the Commission before these decisions were made. They stated that they looked at “more than 1,200 representations.” Out of all the feedback they got, the Commission was able to address “forty-five per cent of the suggestions and objections” when making their final choices.
The main reason behind this process of redrawing, or “delimitation” as it’s technically called, is to make sure the areas match the population count and that every citizen’s vote has equal importance. For this specific task in Assam, the data used was from an older source. The report said, “All assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the state were delimited (redrawn) based on the 2001 Census.” It was also clarified that, “The Census figures of 2001, as published by the Census Commissioner, have thus alone been considered for this purpose.”
While the total number of areas for elections remains the same in Assam, some of their names have changed. There are also special areas set aside for certain groups of people. This ensures that different communities in Assam have a fair chance of being represented in the assembly and parliament.
