By Manoj Kumar Ojha
Guwahati : The first bandh of the year in the state- a12-hour shutdown called by Opposition parties in Barak Valley, Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts in protest against the Election Commission of India’s (EC) draft delimitation proposal for the state paralyzed life on Tuesday.
On the other hand, people demanded a new constituencies in Brahmaputra Valley .Visuals from the region showed shops shut and little movement of traffic on roads as the bandh came into effect Tuesday morning.
Several people protesting against the draft delimitation proposal have also been detained by the police, news agencies reported. The bandh has been jointly called by several political parties, including the Congress and the AIUDF, to protest against the plan to reduce the number of Assembly seats in the valley.
The draft, published last week, outlines the delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in Assam, marking the first delimitation exercise in the state since 1976.
While the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies remains the same in the draft proposal—14 and 126, respectively—there are proposed changes in boundaries, names, and the addition of new constituencies in some areas, along with a reduction in others. The plan has drawn criticism from political leaders in Barak Valley as it proposes reducing the number of Assembly constituencies from 15 to 13 in the three districts of Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj.
During a public meeting in Karimganj, Congress leader and MLA from North Karimganj seat, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, highlighted the significant increase in the voter population in Barak Valley, which rose from 17 lahks in 1976 to 45 lakh in the 2021 state elections. Despite the substantial population growth, two seats have been proposed to be reduced, which has sparked concerns among the political leaders of the region.
Referring to the 1961 language movement, where protests were held against the state government’s decision to make Assamese the sole official language of the state, Purkayastha expressed his discontent, stating, “This bias against Barak and the disregard for our interests is the reason we are holding this meeting… We fought for our rights in the 1961 language movement and will fight for our rights now too.”
In response to the proposed reduction in seats, AIUDF leader and Sonai MLA, Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, called it “unscientific and unethical” and urged the Election Commission to reconsider its decision and maintain the current number of seats in Barak Valley.
The bandh calls coincide with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s assertion that the EC’s proposal protects the interests of the “indigenous people of Assam.”
Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev criticised Sarma’s statements, raising concerns about the EC’s neutrality. Dev stated, “He is essentially saying it is a political exercise. Delimitation is supposed to reflect the population… By saying you are safeguarding one community, you are [also] saying that you are disempowering another community.”
Dev also opposed the proposal to designate Silchar as a reserved Lok Sabha seat for Scheduled Caste candidates. Given the demographic composition, she argued that a minority candidate would likely be elected in Karimganj, leaving Silchar as the only seat for non-Scheduled Caste Hindu Bengalis.
In anticipation of the bandh, police conducted flag marches in Silchar, Badarpur, and other parts of Barak Valley as a confidence-building measure to discourage people from participating in the shutdown called by certain organisations and political parties.