An all-party delegation from Assam has urged the Centre to exempt the state from delimitation of assembly constituencies on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir.

Led by Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai, the delegates on Tuesday made an impassioned plea before home minister Shivraj Patil, saying that the exercise cannot be executed in a ‘just and proper’ manner in the state till the National Register of Citizens(NRC) was updated and insurgency brought under control.

“The home minister gave us a patient hearing and has assured that the matter would be taken up with the Prime Minister and Law Minister,” said education minister Ripun Bora. Barring the AGP, all other parties, including the BJP and CPI, were represented.

According to the delegates, updating the NRC was of utmost importance since it would reflect the actual population pattern in each district. It is apprehended that a huge number of illegal migrants, who have managed to acquire permanent resident certificates and other documents, have been enrolled as voters. Updating the NRC, which was provided for in the Assam Accord (1985), will be based on the 1971 voters’ list which means that doubtful voters would be deleted.

The constituencies of several political heavyweights in Assam, including Union ministers Santosh Mohan Dev and B K Handique, some cabinet ministers and MPs, would be affected if delimitation is carried out. The Delimitation Commission was earlier prevailed upon by the state government to halt the process following objections from ethnic groups, but two draft working papers have already been issued that propose to bring about a significant alteration in the electoral map of the state.

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