Delimitation process to be over by July-end
The process of delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies across the country will be completed by the end of July, Justice Kuldip Singh, Chairman, Delimitation Commission of India, told presspersons here on Thursday.After hearing suggestions and objections from political parties, representatives of voluntary organisations and members of the public from Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Erode, Karur, Salem Namakkal, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, Mr. Justice Singh said the process of eliciting views in Tamil Nadu would be over with the last meeting in Chennai on May 22.Deputy Election Commissioner (Delimitation) and Officer on Special Duty Mrityunjay Sarangi, Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta and State Election Commissioner D. Chandrasekaran were present.The Chairman said a meeting with the Associate Members of the Commission from the State would be held on the following day. It would discuss views collected from all over the State. This would be followed by a meeting of the Commission with election officials."We have completed 70 per cent of the work in Bihar and Assam. The rest of the country has been mostly covered. So, the entire process should be over by the end of July," he said.Mr. Chandrasekaran said the next public hearing would be held on May 19 in Madurai and in Tiruchi on May 21. He said the views expressed at the hearing here related to the problems people said they would face because of the delimitation.
Those who expressed their views included Coimbatore Mayor R. Venkatachalam, Puthiya Tamizhagam president K. Krishnasamy, former Minister K.P. Anbazhagan and former Tirupur MLA C. Sivasamy.Mr. Venkatachalam wanted the Thondamuthur Assembly segment to remain with the Nilgiris Parliamentary constituency. He said the Parliamentary constituency should be retained under the general category and that the Sulur Assembly segment be included under the Pollachi Parliamentary constituency.Dr. Krishnasamy said the Commission should avoid the concentration of seven reserved constituencies in two districts. He opposed the de-reserving of the Pollachi Parliamentary constituency and the bifurcation of the Valparai (Reserved) Assembly constituency.
