Even as the BJP and a section of the Congress demanded ?immediate completion? of the works of Delimitation Commission, the Centre on Friday extended the term of the Commission by one year. According to a notification issued by the legislative department of the law ministry, the term of the Commission will now end on July 31, 2008. The commission, constituted for two years in 2002 under the Delimitation Act, has already completed five years in office.
This is for the second time that the commission gets an extension. The commission got hundreds of complaints from regional and state-level political leadership over redrawing the boundaries of Lok Sabha and the Assembly Constituencies all over the country. Recently young Congress MP Sachin Pilot has come out in public alleging that the Commission?s works are not transparent.
Claiming that Pilot?s allegations are ?unjustified,? the Commission had recently said that it is at the ?fag end of its work.? ?Around 90% work has already been completed. All the constituencies have been formed in accordance with the Delimitation Act and the guidelines. The work in respect of about 500 Lok Sabha constituencies and more than 3,500 Assembly constituencies in the country has been completed and finalised,? the commission had said in a statement recently.
Taking cue from Congress, the BJP had also demanded that the Commission should announce the results of its five years? work immediately. ?Public has certain doubts over the Commission?s works. It should complete the works soon,? BJP spokesperson Muqtar Abbaz Naqvi had said recently.
The Commission is headed by Justice Shri Kuldeep Singh and chief election commissioner N Gopala Swamy is a member of it. ?As the Commission could not complete its work within the stipulated time period due to many factors such as amendment in Delimitation Act 2002 replacing figures of census 1991 to that of census 2001, dissolution of the 13th Lok Sabha and consequent re-nomination of Associate Members from the 14th Lok Sabha etc., the term of the Commission was extended upto July 31st 2007,? the law ministry?s statement said.