New Delhi: As the new Narendra Modi government settles down in office, it has its task cut out. Besides the National Register of Citizens (NRC), delimitation of electoral constituencies seems high on the priority list of new Union home minister Amit Shah who has prioritised the exercise in troubled Jammu and Kashmir and is reported to be keen to take it up urgently in other states.
Apprehending the move, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday hit out at the BJP-led government asking how the Centre could plan such an exercise in J&K without consultation with all the stakeholders.
Without mentioning West Bengal, she slammed the Centre’s attempt to use delimitation as an excuse to disturb political landscape.
“Who has given the BJP the right to change the demography? How can they conduct a delimitation exercise without proper consultation with all the stakeholders, such as National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and PDP leader Mehoboba Mufti?” she asked.
Interestingly, the most recent delimitation commission was set up on July 12, 2002 after the 2001 census. Simultaneously, the Constitution was specifically amended in 2002 not to have delimitation of constituencies till the first census after 2026. Thus, the present constituencies carved out on the basis of 2001 census shall continue to be in operation till the first census after 2026, unless an amendment is considered by the Centre.
In J&K, according to legal experts, the amendment to the Constitution can be struck down by governor Satya Pal Malik but that will require concurrence of Parliament within six months after passing such an ordinance.
