Tribal seats will get lowered after delimitation, says Jharkhand minister

Jharkhand’s ST, SC and Backward Class Welfare minister Chamra Linda on Tuesday expressed concern over the proposed delimitation of parliamentary and meeting seats and stated that population-based allocation of constituencies may end in a “discount of seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes” within the state.

He stated that the tribal inhabitants declined after each delimitation train within the state.

Reacting to this, the BJP additionally expressed concern over the declining tribal inhabitants in Jharkhand and demanded for a Nationwide Register of Residents (NRC).

“Six tribal seats would have lowered in 2008 beneath Delimitation Act 2002, if JMM chief Shibu Soren had not opposed it strongly. Now, I’m extra involved in regards to the upcoming delimitation course of in 2026. I worry six tribal seats could once more scale back,” he stated within the Meeting.

The tribal inhabitants, he added, was 39 per cent in 1951 within the state but it surely lowered after each delimitation course of. “It’s a matter of concern why the tribal inhabitants is declining. If it declines in such a manner, tribals will vanish at some point. I search the opposition’s help to guard tribals,” he stated.

Supporting Linda’s concern, Congress legislator Rameshwar Oraon stated that the proposed delimitation is being opposed by many states, primarily southern states. “It won’t be right to scale back tribal seats primarily based on inhabitants,” he stated.

Chief of Opposition Babulal Marandi of BJP stated the opposition is with the federal government over the preservation of tribal seats.

“It’s a critical concern that tribal inhabitants is declining within the state and Muslim inhabitants is rising. The tribal inhabitants in Santhal Parganas declined by round 17 per cent since 1951 until 2011, whereas the Muslim inhabitants grew throughout the interval,” Marandi stated and added that NRC would make it clear who belongs to Jharkhand and who would not.