Guwahati, 11th August: In a significant stride towards the delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies for Assam, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has released the final order on August 11. This move comes after a thorough evaluation of over 1200 representations from various stakeholders, leading to a comprehensive proposal that reflects the diverse perspectives and concerns.
The Changed nomenclature for 19 Assembly Constituencies and 1 Parliamentary Constituency has been unveiled by the Commission, in response to the representations received during the public hearings held in Guwahati in July 2023.
Key Revisions:
Changed Assembly Constituency Names:
- Mankachar – Changed to BirsingJarua
- South Salmara – Changed to Mankachar
- Manikpur – Changed to Srijangram
- Bhowanipur – Changed to Bhowanipur – Sorbhog
- Rupshi – Changed to Pakabetbari
- Boko (ST) – Changed to Boko-Chaygaon (ST)
- Hajo (SC) – Changed to Hajo-Sualkuchi (SC)
- Gobardhana – Changed to Manas
- Batadraba – Changed to Dhing
- Nagaon – Changed to Nagaon-Batadraba
- Sootea – Changed to Nadaur
- Chabua – Changed to Chabua-Lahowal
- Moran – Changed to Khowang
- Dima Hasao (ST) – Changed to Haflong (ST)
- Algapur – Changed to Algapur – Katlicherra
- Badarpur – Changed to Karimganj North
- North Karimganj – Changed to Karimganj South
- South Karimganj – Changed to Patharkandi
- Ratabari (SC) – Changed to Ram Krishna Nagar
Changed Parliamentary Constituency Name:
- Darrang – Changed to Darrang-Udalguri
Over the course of three days of public hearings, the consultative process involved numerous stakeholders and gave them the chance to voice their opinions and suggestions on the draught proposal. The information received during these sessions was carefully evaluated by the Commission, which was presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel.
The final proposal included almost 45% of the 1222 recommendations and objections that were submitted, demonstrating the Commission’s openness to public input. Following the requirements of Articles 170 and 82 of the Constitution, the final order follows the statistics from the 2001 Census. The Legislative Assembly continues to have 126 representatives, and Assam is assigned 14 seats in the House of People.
Notable are the provisions for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, which coincide with Articles 330 and 332 of the Constitution by designating 19 Assembly constituencies and 2 Parliamentary constituencies for STs and 9 Assembly constituencies and 1 Parliamentary constituency for SCs, respectively.
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