The Hindu : Parties ask delimitation panel to spare mandals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 19, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Parties ask delimitation panel to spare mandals

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD July 18. Political parties in the State urged the Delimitation Commission today to avoid dividing mandals and to ensure that Assembly segments do not spill beyond district borders in the delimitation exercise.

These were among several suggestions made by TDP, Congress, BJP, CPI (M) and CPI leaders at a meeting convened by the Commission chairman, Kuldip Singh, to hear views of political parties and Associate Members on the Commission's initial proposals for delimitation based on the 2001 census.

The meeting lost much of its importance as the Commission has categorically ruled out the possibility of completing its work before the next Lok Sabha polls, due in October 2004. Mr. Justice Singh reiterated that the general elections would have to be held on the basis of the previous delimitation conducted in 1976.

The panel would have completed its work well in time for the general elections but for the 96th Constitution Amendment Bill which stated that the population criteria would be based on the 2001 and not the 1991 census.

Mr. Justice Singh and the Commission Member, B. B. Tandon, said the Census Commissioner had expressed inability to release final population figures before October 31. This data had to be processed and a working prepared for 27 States and published in a gazette inviting objections, if any. Once these proposals were finalised, the Election Commission would have to prepare a fresh voters' list. It would take up to December 2004, to complete the whole process.

K. Madhava Rao, ex-officio Member and State Election Commissioner, said the change between provisional and final census figures was between 0.25 and 0.31 per cent during the 1971, 1981 and 1991 censuses. This change could make a significant impact on the number of Assembly seats.

The TDP MP, Ummareddy Venkateswarlu, welcomed the Commission's initiative in consulting political parties before preparing the working paper. It had earlier embarrassed political parties by releasing the working paper and then seeking views of parties on the reserved constituencies. He said some weightage should be given during delimitation to the geographical features of a constituency.

Gade Venkat Reddy of the Congress suggested that the Commission formulate basic guidelines while deciding to reduce or increase the population of a constituency (by 10 per cent). He saw no logic behind the proposal to have different guidelines for reserving SC and ST seats.

The CPI (M) leader, Koratala Satyanarayana, said his party was disappointed by the decision not to hold the next Lok Sabha elections on the basis of the 2001 census as it would do injustice to SCs and STs. Echoing a similar view, the CPI representative, P. Nageswara Rao, said the population variation between one constituency and another should be reduced from 10 to 5 per cent. Parakala Prabhakar of the BJP said that STs were being unfairly denied due representation under the existing laws.

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