ITANAGAR/NEW DELHI, Sep 2: The North East India Citizens Forum, Delhi (NEICFD), has urged the Chief Ministers of all eight Northeastern states to act collectively to safeguard the region’s political interests in the forthcoming delimitation exercise.
In a statement, the Forum on Wednesday said parliamentary representation should not be determined solely on the basis of population and called for consideration of the Northeast’s strategic international borders, difficult terrain, tribal and indigenous communities, cultural and linguistic diversity, developmental disparities and constitutional protections.
The Forum has urged all Northeastern state governments to convene special sessions of their respective Legislative Assemblies to deliberate on the implications of delimitation and adopt unanimous resolutions seeking constitutional safeguards for enhanced and equitable representation in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Among its key demands, the NEICFD has sought a minimum of five to seven Lok Sabha seats for every Northeastern state, except Assam, irrespective of population, and two to three Rajya Sabha seats for each such state.
For Assam, the Forum has proposed increasing representation to 21 Lok Sabha seats from the existing 14 and 11 Rajya Sabha seats from seven.
It has also called for broader criteria for delimitation, including strategic importance, national security, geographical terrain, tribal and indigenous representation, ethnic and cultural diversity, administrative convenience, developmental disparities, cooperative federalism and balanced regional representation.
Expressing concern over the possible political implications of an expanded Lok Sabha, the Forum said the Northeast currently has 25 Lok Sabha members. Even if all eight states were to receive an increase of around 50 per cent, it estimated that the region’s combined strength would rise only to around 37-38 members.
By comparison, Uttar Pradesh could have around 120 members under the proposed formula, the Forum claimed, arguing that such a disparity could leave the Northeast with a comparatively weak voice in Parliament.
The NEICFD said the situation required urgent collective action by elected representatives of all eight Northeastern states, irrespective of political affiliations.
It maintained that its demand for enhanced representation was not intended to seek any special privilege or diminish the democratic rights of other regions, but to ensure a fair constitutional framework that recognises the Northeast’s strategic, geographical, cultural and constitutional significance.
The Forum also clarified that it was not advocating delimitation before the National Register of Citizens (NRC) or Census, amid apprehensions expressed by some Northeastern states. Its concern, it said, was that the proposed Delimitation Bill, 2026, could be passed with or without the NRC and Census without adequately addressing the region’s demand for enhanced parliamentary representation.
Calling the forthcoming delimitation exercise a “historic and defining moment” that may not recur for another 40-50 years, the NEICFD appealed to all Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers, MPs and MLAs of the Northeastern states to rise above political considerations and adopt a common position.
“This is neither a party issue nor the concern of any single state,” the Forum said, stressing that the exercise could have a lasting bearing on the political voice and constitutional standing of Northeast India.
It said a stronger parliamentary voice for the region would strengthen not only Northeast India but also the country’s federal balance, national security, national integration and democratic foundations.