‘Proper census should precede delimitation’

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Apr 2: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has asserted that delimitation should be done in Manipur only after a proper census exercise is carried out but any delimitation based on the faulty census data of 2001 is unacceptable.
Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan, BT Road here today, MPCC vice-president and spokesman Hareshwar Goswami noted that delimitation has once again become a big issue in the State after a gap of several years following a Supreme Court judgement of March 17, 2025.
Naturally, delimitation must be based on census data. After independence, census exercises have been carried out in India in 1951, 1961, 1971, 2001 and 2011.  
Generally, census committees are set up one year after completion of census exercises. After the completion of the 2001 census exercise, a delimitation commission was set up in 2002, Hareshwar said.
The decadal census exercise of 2021 was deferred till 2026 on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
The MPCC spokesman asserted that the Delimitation Act 2002 does not say anything about redrawing Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies based on the 2011 census data or the 2021 census which has been deferred till 2026.
The Delimitation Act 2002 was enacted as per the Constitution of India and the same Act stipulates delimitation based on the 2001 census, he said.
But the State’s census data of 2001 showed abnormal population growth in nine sub-divisions of three districts. The population growth rate reached 267 per cent at some places.
Considering these inflated and faulty population figures, the people of Manipur do not support any delimitation exercise based on the 2001 census data, he said.
Congress party is in support of delimitation provided it is done based on correct census data, the MPCC spokesman stated.
2001 census data, being conspicuously faulty and fraught with errors, Congress party does not support any delimitation in Manipur based on this census, he said.
Acting on several petitions seeking review of the 2001 census, the High Court passed an order which rescinded the same census with respect to Manipur, he said.
The Government of India published a gazette notification in 2008 which rescinded the 2001 census with respect to some States including Manipur, Hareshwar said.
But the Supreme Court passed an order in 2020 which said that the 2001 census which was rescinded in 2008 would remain valid.                  
Since then, several political parties including the Congress have been asking the authorities not to carry out any delimitation based on faulty census data.
Delimitation is a public issue and the Congress party will work in the interest of the people of Manipur, said the MPCC spokesman.
Likewise, the ruling parties must work in the interest of the people even though there is President’s Rule in the State at present.
He also urged the authorities concerned to carry out the 2021 census (deferred to 2026) properly and correctly without leaving any room for errors or manipulations.
Yet, it would not be right to carry out delimitation based on the 2021 census data. As per rules, delimitation should be done under the Delimitation Act which would be enacted after the 2031 census, Hareshwar Goswami asserted.