Protests erupted in Assam’s Sivasagar district on Saturday against the Election Commission’s final delimitation report for Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, reported PTI.

In its order, the poll panel retained the total number of Assembly seats at 126 and Lok Sabha seats at 14. However, it revised the name of one Parliamentary and 19 Assembly constituencies.

The demonstrations in Sivasagar were held against the decision to not keep Lahowal and Amguri Assembly constituencies intact in Sivasagar district and including areas of Sivasagar in seats that fall under adjoining districts.

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The All Tiwa Students’ Association also expressed discontent over striking off Morigaon from the list of seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes category. The students’ body questioned the government’s commitment to Tiwa indigenous rights.

The Election Commission has increased the number of constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes from 16 to 19 and the number of seats set aside for Scheduled Castes from eight to nine.

Members of the Opposition party Raijor Dal also protested against the delimitation final report near Sivasgar town and blocked the national highway, reported PTI. Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi said that the status of final Election Commission order depends on how the Supreme Court deals with the petitions challenging the delimitation exercise.

Meanwhile, Senior Asom Gana Parishad leader and MLA Pradip Hazarika resigned from all posts on Saturday in protest against the abolition of his Amguri seat in the delimitation report, reported the news agency.

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The Asom Gana Parishad is part of the Bhartiya Janata Party-led government in the state.

“I have failed my people in giving leadership,” Hazarika told reporters in Guwahati reported PTI. “The draft delimitation proposal had done away with Amguri but we had made a strong pitch for retaining it. However, after the publication of the final report, we now know that our demand was not met.”