Mallikarjun Kharge. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on July 7 raised strong objection to the delimitation exercise being carried out in Assam and said it requires wider acceptance and consensus.
Leaders of 11 Opposition parties will also sit on a dharna at Jantar Mantar against the exercise and later hand over a memorandum to the Election Commission.
Opposition leaders had met the Congress president on July 7 evening and handed over a representation on their collective opposition to the delimitation exercise. “The delimitation exercise in Assam needs wider acceptance and consensus within the political spectrum,” Mr. Kharge said on Twitter.
Explained | Assam’s delimitation test
“Leaders of 11 Opposition parties along with AICC General Secretary, Shri @JitendraSAlwar, Congress Party’s Deputy Leader (Lok Sabha), Shri @GouravAssam, PCC President, Shri @BhupenKBorah, CLP Leader Shri @DsaikiaOfficial and other members of @INCAssam handed over a representation to me regarding our collective objections to the delimitation exercise in the State,” he also tweeted sharing pictures of the meeting.
“A memorandum in this regard will be given to the Election Commission. Today, these leaders will be sitting on a dharna at Jantar Mantar,” the Congress chief said. “The issue will be taken up at all appropriate forums,” Mr. Kharge said.
In the draft delimitation document released on June 20, the Election Commission has proposed to retain the number of Assembly seats in Assam at 126 and the Lok Sabha constituencies at 14.
The Commission has also planned to alter the geographical boundaries of most of the constituencies, both Assembly and the Lok Sabha, while eliminating some seats and creating a few new ones.
This has led to protests in the State by Opposition parties as well as allies of the ruling BJP-led coalition government.
