Assam cabinet minister Ashok Singhal on Thursday said that the number of constituencies will not change but the constituency boundaries will be reviewed during the delimitation process initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
This comes after an important meeting convened at the residence of Minister Ashok Singhal earlier in the day regarding the delimitation process which was attended by several ministers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Assam.
According to reports, the meeting was attended by several leaders including Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Atul Bora, Phani Bhusan Choudhury.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Housing and Urban Affairs and Irrigation Minister Ashok Singhal said, “The number of constituencies will not change. No new constituency will be added or existing constituencies will not be removed.”
He said, “The only changes that will take place will be regarding the constituency boundaries and their names. The matter has been taken up following instructions from the Supreme Court.”
“The changes in constituencies will happen before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. We cannot overlook directions of the Supreme Court,” added Singhal.
Speaking on the matter, cabinet minister Atul Bora said, “We welcome this decision and everything will go ahead according to plans.”
Bora said, “Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has given the responsibility to Ashok Singhal. In that regard, we sat with him to discuss the course of action.”
“The delimitation of constituencies is absolutely necessary. We cannot let external factors cause hindrances in this matter. The party has held this demand for a long time and we are finally getting it,” he added.
It may be noted that Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bhupen Borah had constituted a 12-member committee to overlook the delimitation process of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Assam yesterday.
The committee was formed with the aim of keeping a vigilant eye on the delimitation process after the Election Commission of India (ECI) initiated the delimitation process as per Section 8A of the RP Act, 1950.
According to reports, the committee will be headed by Congress Legislative Party’s Deputy Leader Rakibul Hussain.
Moreover, Pranati Phukan has been given charge as the Convener, while Bipul Gogoi will be the Coordinator.
Other members of the committee are MLA Bharat Chandra Narah, MP Abdul Khaleque, Rana Goswami, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Jakir Hussain Sikdar, Basanta Das, Ram Prasad Sharma, Dwijen Sharma and Durga Bhumij.