Delimitation Bill aimed at 2029 poll advantage: Thomas Isaac

The Union government’s Delimitation Bill is an attempt at gerrymandering to gain an upper hand in future elections, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Central Committee member T.M.Thomas Isaac has said. “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have forgotten to notify the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in 2023. The law was finally notified last night. No one is against it. The BJP’s goal is not women’s reservation, but to ensure victory in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. For that, the Election Commission, which is fully under its control, is being used to implement the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to exclude communities not favoured by the party from the electoral rolls. The Delimitation Commission will similarly be used to redraw the boundaries of the parliamentary seats to the BJP’s liking. The more the number of Parliamentary seats, the easier it is to carry out fraud,” Mr.Isaac wrote in a Facebook post.

According to him, the BJP has changed its tactics, recognising that a Delimitation Bill proposing a 77% increase in representation of North Indian Hindi-speaking States and only 33% increase in representation for South Indian States would not secure the required two-thirds majority in the Parliament. “Amit Shah has stated that a provision can be made in the law that representation will be increased by 50 percent in all States. Presently, the Constitution allocates parliamentary seats to States in proportion to the population in 1971. To amend that, a two-thirds majority is required. Neither Amit Shah nor the BJP is ready to guarantee that the increase in the existing seats by 50 percent will be made a condition for a Constitutional amendment. To change the existing proportional system today, a two-thirds majority is required. But in the future, that is not necessary. A mere majority will suffice. The future of our State cannot be left to the mercy of the BJP,” he wrote.