Ahead of delimitation, concern grows over hills' representation

With the next delimitation of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies likely to be undertaken in 2026, there is an increasing concern among experts that the hill districts will lose to the plains in terms of number of seats if population is taken as a criterion.

- Amit Bathla

DEHRADUN:

As the issue of delimitation—the redrawing of Lok Sabha and assembly constituency boundaries—has taken a centre stage in the national political discourse due to opposition by Tamil Nadu and other southern states because of the success in population control measures as compared to their northern counterparts.

In Uttarakhand, too, similar concern is being raised with many claiming that the state will lose its identity as a hill state as the plains will have decisively more assembly seats than the hill region.

It comes at a time when hill-plains faultlines have already been reopened following Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prem Chand Aggarwal's controversial remarks against the hill community that eventually led to his resignation.

Political expert Professor MM Semwal, who teaches political science at Garhwal University in Pauri Garhwal, said even after the formation of Uttarakhand, the representation of hills continues to be a challenge in a different way. He said that the trend of out-migration from the rural landscapes of Garhwal and Kumaon continues unabated, leading to a decline in population in the hills.

"The result of out-migration from hills reflected in the reduction of assembly seats after the first delimitation. The nine hill districts—Almora, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Champawat, Pauri Garhwal, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal and Uttarkashi—saw a reduction of six constituencies, decreasing from 40 to 34. In contrast, districts with entirely or partially plain areas—Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar—saw an increase in representation, with their total seats rising from 30 to 36," he said.