Guwahati, March 1: Days after the Centre approved delimitation of Assam, state Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday expressed hope that political rights of the indigenous population of the state are protected. Sarma asserted that Assam should be governed by indigenous people. On Friday, President Ram Nath Kovind gave the nod for resuming delimitation exercise in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

Speaking to reporters, the Assam minister said, “We hope that this delimitation ensures that political rights of indigenous communities of Assam are protected. We want to see that we don't lose any seats when the delimitation report is published. Assam should be governed by indigenous people.” Govt Cancels Notifications Which Deferred Delimitation in Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal, Manipur.

Himanta Biswas's Statement:

Biswas also said that Members of the Committee on Assam Accord's Clause 6 had informally clarified that they never directly recommended the introduction of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Assam. He also stated that the delimitation in the state would counter anti-Citizenship Amendment Act demonstrations as it would remove the fear that with the implementation of the act, natives of the state would turn into the minority.

The exercise is likely to be completed ahead of the assembly polls scheduled next year. In 2008, the exercise was postponed by the Election Commission till the publication of the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) so that the true population configuration in the state could be determined. Assam: Islamic Word 'Maktab' To Be Dropped From Names of Government Primary Schools, Says Education Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma.

The delimitation process is carried out to redrawing the boundaries of territorial constituencies, so taking account of the change in population so that a different segment of the population should get equal representation. After the formation of the delimitation commission, the exercise was completed four times. Along with Assam, the exercise was also stalled in Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 01, 2020 08:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).