NEW DELHI, Feb 17: Union Cabinet approved amendment to the Delimitation Act and the Representation of the People Act to enable Election Commission to carry out limited delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal necessitated by the exchange enclaves between India and Bangladesh.
Since the newly acquired area consequent upon the exchange of territory between the two countries has become the part of the Indian territory, it is required to make delimitation exercise (redrawing of boundaries of assembly and parliamentary constituencies) within the limited constituency area before the ensuing West Bengal Assembly elections.
This is in pursuance of the Constitution (One Hundredth Amendment) Act, 2015 and also allows for introduction of a Bill, namely, the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in Parliament to, Minister for IT and Telecom Ravi Shankar Prasad told mediapersons here after the Cabinet meeting.
In a historic pact between India and Bangladesh, 51 Bangladeshi enclaves (Chhitmahals) in Indian Territory and 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh territory were exchanged with effect from July 31, 2015. The move altered the geography and demography of the district of Cooch Behar in West Bengal. (UNI)
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