Srinagar: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed Para on Friday said delimitation would forever change the country’s electoral politics and, therefore, should not be rushed without consultations.
“Delimitation will bring a forever change to India’s electoral politics. The government should not rush into this decision and more importantly, there should be larger consultations before bringing the bill,” Para told reporters here.
He said there are concerns from several quarters on whether a single party can take such a lasting call regarding the nature of democracy and electoral politics of the country.
“There are apprehensions among a lot of people, whether minorities or opposition parties, or those who are not heard. Should India’s democracy run only on majoritarian numbers? Should governance be qualitative or solely defined by quantity? This is the concern all of us share,” he said.
Para, who represents south Kashmir’s Pulwama in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, said a decision which will forever morph India’s electoral landscape “should not be taken in a rush, and without consultation with all parties”.
Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leader and Kulgam MLA M Y Tarigami said the delimitation bill is “politically motivated”.
“The agenda for this session was women’s reservation. However, unfortunately, the government brought the amendment and linked it with census and delimitation which are two separate issues. This special Parliament session, and linking women’s reservation with census and delimitation is politically motivated,” he said.
He emphasised the need to implement women reservation that has been pending since 2023.
“They could not find time for it till now, but right when assembly elections are ongoing in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, they remember women’s reservation, linking it with census and delimitation. It is politically motivated; this is a very important issue and should not be diluted or used for partisan interests,” the senior CPI(M) leader said.