Guwahati, July 7: Members of as many as 11 Opposition parties from Assam staged a sit-in protest in front of the Election Commission of India (ECI) office in New Delhi on Friday and voiced their opposition to the delimitation draft proposed for the state by the apex poll panel
During the sit-in demonstration, the Opposition members also shouted slogans against the ECI for its “refusal” to meet the visiting party delegation from Assam.
“After refusal by ECI to meet the 11-party delegation from Assam, the delegates started a sit-in protest in front of the ECI office. It’s a shame that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using ECI as an extended arm of BJP,” a Twitter post of Assam Congress said.
The party members, led by the Congress, were scheduled to submit a memorandum to the Election Commission against the delimitation draft for Assam.
On Thursday, the party representatives had met All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge to share a representation of their collective opposition to the delimitation exercise.
Along with the Assam Congress, the parties that have come together to oppose the delimitation draft of ECI include the Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, Jatiya Dal, state units of the Trinamool Congress, NCP, CPI, CPI(M), CPI (M-L) Liberation, RJD and JD(U).
On the other hand, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has, in view of intensified protests by several groups and political parties across Assam, urged the government and the Election Commission to listen to the voices of the masses and conduct the delimitation along with the nationwide delimitation scheduled for 2026.
AAP has voiced serious concern over the draft delimitation for the upcoming elections in Assam, stating that the reliance on the “outdated census data from 2001 in the delimitation process, without accounting for population growth and demographic changes since then, has attracted vehement opposition from the people of the state.”
AAP in-charge of Northeastern states, Rajesh Sharma, alleged that the Election Commission has failed to adhere to its own guidelines which have resulted in the potential adverse impact on the administrative and governance systems and the violation of the right to fair representation for many ethnic and caste groups in Assam.
The party has further questioned the timing and necessity of the delimitation, raising doubts about the potential political interference of the ruling party – BJP.