President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod for resuming delimitation exercise in the northeastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland by rescinding/cancelling the February 8, 2008 order. The decision has been taken following the improvement in the security situation in these states and a reduction in insurgency incidents.

Background:

A Delimitation Commission was set up under the Delimitation Act, 2002 to readjust the division of each state and union territory into territorial constituencies for the purpose of Lok Sabha and state assembly elections on the basis of census figures of 2001. The Delimitation Commission completed the delimitation exercise on November 26, 2008 in respect of all the states, except in these four northeastern states due to threat to the peace and public order.

What is Delimitation?

According to the Election Commission website, it means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body.

=> Delimitation Commissions in India have been constituted four times in the past in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952, in 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962, in 1973 under Delimitation Act, 1972 and in 2002 under Delimitation Act, 2002.

=> This process is assigned to a high power body namely Delimitation Commission or a Boundary Commission, whose orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.

=> The Copies of the orders passed by Delimitation Commission has to be laid before Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assembly.But no modifications are permissible there in by them.