NATIONAL CAMPAIGN ON DALIT HUMAN RIGHTS
NCDHR Dalits In News Saturday, August 05, 2006 Times of India Delimitation: Politics forces UP rejig Mohua Chatterjee & Subodh Ghildiyal [ 5 Aug, 2006 0219hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] NEW DELHI: A great balancing act is on to reorganise the reserved seats for scheduled castes (SC) across Uttar Pradesh after the initial delimitation proposal in the state led to serious regional imbalance, leaving the western region out of the dalit landscape. The delimitation proposal, based on the strict implementation of the criteria for identifying reserved seats population of dalits has resulted in the western region ending up with only 'general' seats, pushing all 17 reserved seats out of 80 Lok sabha constituencies to central and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Following disapproval from interested parties, the Delimitation Commission, in the fresh consultations, has proposed a compromise by winking at the parameters and handing over four reserved seats to the West Nagina, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Hathras. The fresh compromise proposal would be a double blow for Kalyan Singh, former chief minister and BJP top head. He will have both his home-seat of Aligarh and the adopted constituency of Bulandshahr out of his grip. While Aligarh has been his fiefdom for years, Bulandshahr, with significant OBC populace especially from his own Lodh community, offered him a safe seat when he rejoined the party and decided to contest for the Lok Sabha. It would sound a premature end for Jatin Prasad in Shahjahanpur, a seat groomed by his father and late Congress leader Jitendra Prasad. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav would lose his home constituency of Etawah. But Union minister and Congress dalit leader Mahavir Prasad could heave a sigh of relief his constituency Bansgaon, proposed to be dereserved in the first draft, could be back in the dalit category. Till now, western UP had 3 reserved seats Khurja, Bijnore and Hathras. As per 2001 census, the three lost out to eastern and central UP on population of SCs. Khurja has ceased to exist and has been replaced by Gautam Buddh Nagar which has a SC population of 18.82%. Bijnore has 19.09% SCs and Hathras 22.83%. The reconfiguration on 2001 census gave a higher concentration of dalits in East and Central UP and all three seats lost their SC status. Seats proposed for the reserved tag were Kheri with 25.9% SC population, Dhaurahara (28.86), Sitapur (26.9), Hardoi (31.01), Misrikh (35.51), Mohanlalganj (36.5),Harchandpur (32.14), Etawah (25.5), Jalaun (26.08), Jhansi (26.86), Fatehpur (26.04), Kaushambhi (32.55), Unnao (29.18), Lalganj (25.76), Azamgarh (25.7), Mirzapur (26.71) and Robertsganj (39.1). Analysts saw it as decisive shift of dalit politics out of western UP as, with no reserved seats, the nature of politics in the affluent and socially volatile belt would not see any SC candidate emerging. For many, irony could not be more glaring as the ergion is home to dalit leader Mayawati, who runs the dalit outfit BSP. The pressure mounted in the name of "regional balance", sources said, seems to be bearing fruit with the Delimitation Commission having forwarded a fresh proposal. It would give four seats Nagina, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Hathras to western UP, which is one more than the existing three. While Hathras, a reserved seat anyway, has an SC population of 22.83%, Aligarh has 22.03%, Bulandshahr 19.30% and Nagina 21.34%. Going strictly by the population criteria, neither of the four seats may qualify for the reserved tag. But, sources said, the country has to keep in mind regional balance and heterogenity and at times make exemptions to the uniform application of a rule. <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1855773,curpg-2.cms> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1855773,curpg-2.cms ARUN KHOTE Secretary-Media National Campaign On Dalit Human Rights-NCDHR 8/1,2nd Floor, South Patel Nagar NEW DELHI-110008 ( INDIA) Ph/ Fax-91#11-25842249/ 25842250 Mobile:0-9350183802 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: dalits.org «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥««¤»¥«¤»§«¤» This is ZESTCaste whose members watch India's painful journey to society's de-casteisation. Members are encouraged to post messages to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTCaste by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! 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