Imphal, December 20: The proposed preliminary round meeting of the Delimitation Commission of India previously scheduled for December 23 at New Delhi has been postponed for an indefinite period. Conveying that the State Government had been intimated on the postponement, a source also mentioned of a Gauhati High Court directive on December 14 putting a hold on Delimitation exercises in Manipur.

The ruling is said to be a consequence of the all political parties' Public Interest Litigation filed at the double bench of the gauhati High Court opposing the proposed exercise on ground that certain pockets in Senapati and Chandel district had disproportionate decadal population growth as was indicated in the 2001 census report.

It is pertinent to mention that an all political party delegation headed by the Chief Minister had recently apprised leaders in New delhi to preserve the status quo on existing Assembly Constituencies of the State in the backdrop of Delimitation Commission of India's intimation to the State Government to respond to the former's proposal for realignment of ACs.

Inspite of the State delegation's apprisal to Central leaders, the DCI had fixed December 23 for the preliminary round meeting for which the two MPs and the CM besides IFC Minister Phungzathang Tonsing, MPCC chief Gaikhangam along with Opposition MLAs RK Dorendra and Dr Nimaichand Luwang were asked to participate, the source recalled.

It, however, did not divulge further information on postponement of the proposed meeting.

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