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A team of the Election Commission (EC), which concluded its three-day consultation in Guwahati on Friday, said the proposal to increase the number of reserved seats in Assam was widely welcomed by different organisations.
The EC published the draft delimitation proposal for Assam in June.
While the number of Assembly and Lok Sabha seats was kept unchanged at 126 and 14, respectively, the number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes was increased from 16 to 19, and for the Scheduled Castes from eight to nine.
The geographical boundaries of several constituencies were also proposed to be altered.
Apart from welcoming the increase in the number of reserved constituencies, several organisations also welcomed the draft proposal based on the 2001 Census, the poll panel headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said after the consultative exercise that involved hearing more than 1,200 representations from 31 districts and 20 political organisations.
Election Commission (EC)
the Election Commission of India (ECI) continues to function as an independent constitutional body responsible for overseeing and conducting elections in India.
The key functions and responsibilities of the Election Commission of India include electoral administration, voter registration, delimitation of constituencies, formulation and enforcement of election rules, candidate nominations, voter education, election monitoring, adjudication of election disputes, political party registration, and the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct during elections.
The ECI operates as a three-member body, with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) leading the commission and two Election Commissioners assisting the CEC. The President of India appoints these officials.
India conducts elections at various levels of government, including:
Lok Sabha Elections: Elections to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, where members are elected to represent constituencies from all over the country.
State Legislative Assembly Elections: Elections to the legislative assemblies of individual states and union territories, where members are elected to represent various constituencies within each state/union territory.
Rajya Sabha Elections: Members of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, are elected by the members of state legislative assemblies.
Local Body Elections: Elections for various local bodies, such as municipal corporations, municipal councils, and village panchayats, to elect representatives for local governance.
The Election Commission of India plays a vital role in upholding the democratic principles of the country by ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process. It plays a significant role in safeguarding the rights of Indian citizens to vote and choose their representatives in government.
Chief Election Commissioner
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India is the head of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is responsible for conducting free and fair elections to the national and state legislatures and of the President and Vice-President of India. The CEC is an independent body, and the Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the President of India. The Chief Election Commissioner has a fixed tenure of six years or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
