Former MP demands revision of delimitation of constituencies

Sambalpur, Mar 5(UNI) Former Parliament Member Pabitra Mohan Pradhan today demanded that the delimitation Commission should give a second thought to the draft notification of delimitation of assembly constituencies following largescale resentment among the people.

He welcomed the decision of the members of the commission from Orissa to resign from their post protesting the arbitrary proposals drafted and published by the Delimitation Commission and urged them to stick to their stand to compel the Commission to rethink over the matter.

Mr Pradhan said the Delimitation Commission should think the whole gamut of delimiting the constituencies not only as per the spirit of the act but also on the socio-economic changes that had taken place since the last three decades.

Citing an example, the former MP said Hirakud and Burla two developed towns of Sambalpur need not to be placed under the new Rengali constituency reserved for SC community. These two towns, he said, would be benefitted if they included in Sambalpur Constituency.

He alleged that the Delimitation Commission had never taken the people's opinion and said the people were kept dark on the approach the Commission with regard to delimitation of constituencies both for the assembly and parliament.

Mr Pradhan said the Commission had adopted a hush-hush manner and never bothered to take note of the discontentment of the members as well as large section of the population.

The primary function of the Commission was to ensure maximum possible representation of divergent cross section of the people and the areas of the state, he said.

UNI XC DP BA KLC1814