Concern over constituency ''cut and paste''

New Delhi, May 19 (UNI) Members in the Rajya Sabha today expressed concern over the urban-rural imbalance that will result from the delimitation of the electoral constituencies.

Moving the Private Member's Resolution, Congress Member V Narayansamy said the population from the rural areas is migrating fast to the cities. This would result in the increasing number of constituencies in the urban areas while the number would come down in villages. This is not a fair deal for the people living in hamlets, villages and towns.

His colleague from the Congress Jesudasu Seelam, who has been closely associated with the Delimitation Commission, said the imbalance would result between the hilly regions and plain areas, between the tribal areas as also in the North-Eastern States.

Mr Seelam suggested that the seats should be frozen at the district level even as the ''cut and paste'' could be carried out within these units.

BJP Member Laxminarayan Sharma agreed with the Congress members, saying the delimitation exercise would reduce the number of constituencies in Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh and increase the seats in big cities like Bhopal.

He said even as the Delimitation Commission has completed two-thirds of the work, some viable solution could be worked out.

MORE UNI PC RL HT1715