Date:09/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/09/stories/2006050910690500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Reorganised segments must be administratively viable'

Staff Reporter

BJP meet begins to chalk out strategy and approach to the draft proposal on delimitation

CONFABULATIONS: (from left) BJP leaders Sanjay Joshi, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, H.N. Ananth Kumar and Ramesh Jigajinagi, MP, at a meeting to chalk out its approach to the draft proposal on delimitation of Assembly constituencies, in Bangalore on Monday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE: The State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday began a two-day meeting to chalk out its strategy and approach to the draft proposal on delimitation of Assembly constituencies on the basis of 2001 Census.

Ahead of the May 11 meeting of the Delimitation Commission headed by the former Supreme Court judge Kuldip Singh, the State BJP leaders began their exercise on the premise that the draft proposal will change the contours and size of several constituencies.

Social justice

The proposed changes will cost some prominent legislators their constituencies from where they have won several times. The meeting wanted the factors of social justice and equity considered along with the 2001 Census. BJP national General Secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar, MP, told presspersons before the meeting that another factor that ought to be borne in mind was that the reorganised constituencies should be administratively viable.

The BJP plans to present the views emerging from this meeting to the commission on May 11 in Delhi.

After obtaining the views and objections from the States, the political parties, elected representatives, the commission is expected to take up the delimitation exercise in four phases and based on its recommendations, the boundaries of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies will be demarcated. For the time being only the proposals regarding the Assembly constituencies have been circulated. Gadag, Chitradurga, Shimoga, Udupi, Tumkur, Kolar, Mandya. Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar are set to lose one or two constituencies, which will show up in other districts, Bangalore Urban district being the biggest gainer, going up from 13 to 16.

This exercise, which began in 2003, is likely to be completed in six months.

Mr. Ananth Kumar said the party's district-level office-bearers, and leaders were attending the BJP's meeting.

State unit president D.V. Sadananda Hegde, party's national general secretary Sanjay Joshi, and others were present at the meeting.