The Hindu Editorial Analysis
20 March 2025
A delimitation red flag — the lessons from J&K, Assam
(Source – The Hindu, International Edition – Page No. – 8)
Topic : GS2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Context
- Risk of Communal Division: Delimitation may lead to the communal division of electoral constituencies.
Introduction
- Delimitation Discussions: Ongoing discussions about delimiting legislative constituencies raise various concerns.
- Proposal:
- Maintain the current number of parliamentary seats.
- Increase the number of Assembly seats in states with growing populations.
- Rationale:
- MLAs focus on local issues, serving as primary representatives.
- MPs primarily address national policy matters.
Addressing Power Imbalance and Strengthening Zonal Councils
Concerns
- Power Imbalance: Southern states fear losing power due to delimitation.
- Inactive Zonal Councils: Most zonal councils have not met since 2023, with the Southern Zonal Council last meeting in 2022.
Proposed Solutions
- Redistribution of Rajya Sabha Seats: Equal distribution among the five geographic zones (North, Central, East, West, South).
- Revitalize Zonal Councils:
- Make them independent of the Home Ministry.
- Enhance coordination with the Inter-State Council, which has been inactive since 2016.
The Case of Jammu and Kashmir
- Recent Delimitations: Jammu & Kashmir (2022) and Assam (2023) highlight concerns for the upcoming 2026 delimitation.
Criticism of J&K Delimitation
- Political Opposition: All parties except the BJP opposed the delimitation.
- Disproportionate Seat Allocation: Jammu gained six new seats; the Valley received only one, skewing vote weight.
- Illogical Boundaries: Constituencies were redrawn without regard for geography, e.g., merging Poonch and Rajouri with Anantnag.
- Communal Seat Distribution: Newly created constituencies favor Hindu-majority areas.
- Demographic Manipulation: Muslim-majority Kishtwar was altered to a Hindu-majority constituency.
- Unequal Electorate Sizes: Disparities in voter populations across constituencies.
- Warning for 2026: Flaws in J&K delimitation raise concerns about fairness and representation.
In Assam
- District Mergers: Four districts merged back into their originals, reducing total districts from 35 to 31.
- Frozen Assembly Seats: Number of Assembly seats unchanged despite redistricting.
- Loss of Muslim-Majority Seats: Ten seats removed, altering representation.
- Increase in Hindu & Tribal Seats: Shift in demographic balance.
- Unequal Constituency Sizes: Vast differences in population sizes among constituencies.
- Warning for 2026: Risk of similar manipulations in future delimitation.
Danger of Polarization
Issues
- Opposition Inaction: The Opposition has not adequately addressed communal delimitation risks.
- Minority Populations: Many Opposition-ruled states have large minority populations, primarily Muslim.
- Past Voting Trends: Secular voting patterns in states like Bengal and Tamil Nadu may be threatened.
- Risk of Polarization: Communal demarcation could polarize voters, even in traditionally non-communal regions.
- Pattern from Jammu & Assam: Delimitation changes have helped consolidate votes for certain parties through communal divisions.
- Expansion of Draconian Policies: Policies targeting minorities are spreading beyond border states.
Conclusion
- Power Imbalance: Population-based delimitation exacerbates the power divide between large northern states and others.
- Communal Division Threat: Risks disrupting national unity and social harmony.
- Challenge to Pluralism: Both population and communal delimitation pose significant threats to India’s pluralistic federation and must be addressed.