Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
The battle over proposed delimitation exercise of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies intensified in Jharkhand on Sunday, with the Congress leading a major tribal mobilisation at Morabadi Ground and the Church openly backing the rally, while Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who the organisers had invited as the chief guest, chose not to attend the gathering. Chief Minister Soren though skipped the rally, he was represented by his representative and Tamar MLA Vikash Munda.
Thousands of tribals from different parts of Jharkhand congregated at Morhabadi Maidan turning opposition to the proposed delimitation into a wider mobilisation around Adivasi political representation, land rights, constitutional safeguards and control over natural resources.
The rally, organised under the leadership of former minister Bandhu Tirkey, witnessed a large turnout of tribal men, women, youth and elderly people from different districts. People began arriving in Ranchi from the morning, with many participants saying they had contributed money to travel to the capital or sacrificed a day’s wages to attend the gathering.
The proposed delimitation and its possible impact on tribal political representation remained the central issue at the rally. Jharkhand Congress president Keshav Mahato Kamlesh, state in-charge K Raju, Rameshwar Oraon, Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey, Subodh Kant Sahay, Sukhdeo Bhagat, MLAs Rajesh Kachhap, Naman Vixal Kongari and Bhushan Bara, and All India Adivasi Congress president Dr Vikrant Bhuria were among those present.
Tirkey said tribal communities would strongly oppose any delimitation based solely on population figures. He alleged that attempts were being made to weaken tribal political representation and constitutional protections, including those under the Fifth Schedule.
A written message from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was read out at the rally by MP Sukhdeo Bhagat. K Raju said the Congress would raise the issue in Parliament and claimed that the party had decided that delimitation should not take place in Jharkhand for the next 25 years.
Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey said the issue was not limited to the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats but concerned the political representation and constitutional rights of tribal communities.
Tribal organisations supporting the protest argued that future delimitation should take into account not only population but also tribal-dominated areas, historical displacement and constitutional safeguards.
The rally also saw political allegations against the BJP and RSS. Speakers accused them of attempting to weaken Jharkhand’s tribal-centred political character and alleged efforts to divide tribal communities in the name of religion. The gathering comes amid a wider debate over the proposed delimitation process and its potential implications for tribal representation in Jharkhand.
