Why redrawn electoral boundaries in Assam have confirmed Muslim legislators’ worst fears

The boundaries of the parliamentary and assembly constituencies in Assam have been redrawn, despite large-scale complaints and objections from Opposition parties.

In June, the Election Commission had published a draft proposal for delimitation in June, inviting responses from civil society and political parties. Scroll had then reported how redrawing the assembly and parliamentary constituencies could reduce Muslim representation in the assembly, further marginalising the community in the state.

Opposition parties, too, had voiced concern that delimitation could reduce the number of Muslim legislators in the Assembly and benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

But the Election Commission on August 11 executed the delimitation draft for Assam without much change.

Scroll spoke with Muslim legislators and parliamentarians of the state’s Bengali-origin Muslim community to understand how delimitation will affect their electoral prospects. Many of them said that the delimitation was carried out with the agenda of creating separate Hindu and Muslim constituencies.

Indigenous groups get more seats

According to the final delimitation order, the number of assembly constituencies in Muslim-majority districts has decreased while those in areas inhabited by communities considered indigenous to Assam has increased.

For instance, seats in the areas within the jurisdiction of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Region have been increased from four to five, and in the Bodoland Territorial Region from 12...

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