Delimitation a ‘breakthrough’, will safeguard Assam’s future: Himanta Biswa

On December 27, the Election Commission had announced the process of delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Assam, saying it would be based on Census data from 2001.

Himanta Biswa Sarma added the government had been successful in busting eight “jihadi” modules in Assam linked to the Ansarullah Bangla Team, a Bangladesh-based terror outfit affiliated with al-Qaida. (file)

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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Sunday called the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s decision to carry out delimitation in the state a “breakthrough”, adding that it would “safeguard Assam’s future”.

On December 27, the Election Commission had announced the process of delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Assam, saying it would be based on Census data from 2001. Assam currently has 14 Lok Sabha seats and 126 Assembly constituencies. The EC had also issued a directive banning the creation of new administrative units in the state with effect from January 1 until the completion of the exercise.

“The NRC was unsuccessful and the Assam Accord also did not live up to expectations. Delimitation can be one exercise that can safeguard Assam’s future for the next two decades at least,” said Sarma, while addressing a press conference in Guwahati on the occasion of New Year.

A day before the deadline, Sarma on Saturday had called for a Cabinet meeting in Delhi, and announced the merger of four districts: Tamulpur with Baksa district, Hojai with Nagaon district, Biswanath with Sonitpur district, and Bajali with Barpeta district. The mergers will bring down the count of districts in Assam from 35 to 31.

On Sunday, Sarma said the decision to merge districts was not directly related to delimitation, but was done for “administrative reasons.” However, responding to a press query, Sama admitted that it would have “some impact” on the delimitation process which he said would be done “without depriving anyone of their rights”, or without favouring one community over the other.

The Opposition has criticised the Assam government’s move to merge districts, calling it a “political decision to polarise voters”.

Sarma countered by saying it was a “harsh” decision, but necessary. He said, “It is a harsh decision— district boundaries play an important role. But this decision was not based on emotion, but on logic… for the sake of community and state,” he said.

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Summing up his government’s performance in the past year, Sarma said the Assam Police had been successful in their war against drugs and drugs worth Rs 781 crore were seized in 2022—a quantum jump from previous years. “We are discharging a national duty. We are securing the future of an entire generation,” he said.

Sarma added the government had been successful in busting eight “jihadi” modules in Assam linked to the Ansarullah Bangla Team, a Bangladesh-based terror outfit affiliated with al-Qaida. “We are actively working with the [Bengali] Muslim community to rationalise Madrassa reduction education. Those who run the madrassas we are taking them as stakeholders instead of enemies.”

The chief minister also said 2022 marked the end of the tribal and Adivasi insurgency in Assam. Regarding the border disputes, he said, “Things were largely in order apart from a few stray incidents.”