The government on Friday, 28 February, cancelled its earlier notifications which deferred delimitation in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh due to security issues, saying the exercise could be carried out ‘now’ as the previous circumstances cease to exist.
The 'order' issued by the Legislative Department of the Law Ministry said ‘it appears that the circumstances that led to the deferring of the delimitation exercise’ in Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland ‘have ceased to exist and that the delimitation of the constituencies as envisaged under the Delimitation Act, 2002 could be carried out now’.
It said now the President, satisfied that the circumstances that led to the deferring of the delimitation exercise have ceased to exist, ‘is pleased to rescind the notification dated the 8 February, 2008.’
The order pointed out that a Delimitation Commission was set up under the Delimitation Act, 2002 to readjust the division of each state and union territory into territorial constituencies for the purpose of Lok Sabha and state assembly elections on the basis of census figures of 2001.
The Commission completed the delimitation exercise and the Delimitation Order, 2008 in respect of all the states, except in these four northeastern states, it said.
Referring to each of these four states individually, the order said the President on being satisfied that a situation had arisen where the unity and integrity of India was likely to be threatened and there was serious threat to the peace and public order, deferred the delimitation exercise.
According to the Election Commission website, delimitation literally means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body.
The job of delimitation is assigned to a high power body. Such a body is known as Delimitation Commission or a Boundary Commission.
‘In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted four times - in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952, in 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962, in 1973 under Delimitation Act, 1972 and in 2002 under Delimitation Act, 2002,’ it said.
The Delimitation Commission in India is a high power body whose orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.
These orders come into force on a date to be specified by the President. The copies of its orders are laid before Lok Sabha and the state legislative assembly concerned, ‘but no modifications are permissible therein by them’, the EC website said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)