NEIDP questions MPs’ stand on delimitation Bill

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Sep 18: The North East India Development Party (NEIDP) has questioned the position of MPs elected from the State on the Peoples Representation Amendment Bill which would be tabled soon in the Parliament to facilitate delimitation in Manipur based on alleged erroneous census data.
Speaking to media persons at their Tera Bazar office today, NEIDP vice-president and spokesman Dr I Ibohalbi asked whether the MPs would vote in line with their respective party’s positions or in the interest of the people of Manipur as and when the Peoples Representation Amendment Bill  is tabled in the Parliament.
In accordance with the Delimitation Act 2002, delimitation exercise had been completed in 24 States  but four States were left out.
Manipur too was left out of the delimitation exercise on account of a huge controversy which erupted from abnormal population growth reported from some sub-divisions in the 2001 census, said the former MLA and added as per the 2001 census report, the total population of Manipur was around 23.88 lakh.
If this total population is divided among the 60 Assembly segments of the State, there should be around 39,800 people in each Constituency.
When the total population of each district was divided by 39,800, the number of Assembly segments in Chandel district should rise from two to three and the number of Assembly constituencies in Senapati district should rise from six to nine. In another word, hill districts would have four more Assembly segments if the delimitation exercise must be carried out based on the 2001 census data, Dr Ibohalbi said. The State’s total population rose to around 28.56 lakh as per the 2011 census report which implied that were around 47,600 people in each of the 60 Assembly segments.
When the total population of the districts are divided by 47,600, Imphal West district which has 13 Assembly segments would lose two segments while Imphal East which has 11 Assembly segments would lose one seat.
Likewise, Bishnupur and Thoubal districts which have six and 10 Assembly segments respectively would lose one segment each. There will be no change in the six Assembly segments of Churachandpur district, Ibohalbi said.
Out of the six Assembly segments lost by the valley districts, one would be added to Chandel, another one to Ukhrul and four to Senapati district. It means the valley districts would have 34 Assembly segments while the hill districts would have 26 Assembly Constituencies.
If one is not careful enough with the 2021 census operation, the valley districts may even lose 10 Assembly segments, he said. In case, delimitation is done on the erroneous 2001 census report, the valley districts would lose six Assembly segments and the Meitei community would be reduced to a minority. In such a scenario, all the  efforts of the Chief Minister  to foster closer hill-valley ties would be rendered futile, Ibohalbi warned. He then appealed to the authorities concerned to defer the delimitation exercise till the 2021 census operation and ensure that the next census operation is done by linking it with Aadhaar.