Gangtok, April 18: The State Election Commission has received 18 letters till today complaining against the delimitation of constituencies.

The office of state election commissioner (SEC) D.K. Gazmer, who is also the ex-officio member of the Delimitation Commission, has received the letters.

Today was the second day for receiving complaints and suggestions on delimitation of constituencies. The Central Delimitation Commission has fixed April 19 as the last date for receiving opinion on the controversial issue.

The final draft proposal on delimitation, released earlier this month, rearranged the Assembly constituencies and has also changed most of the names by which the constituencies were called earlier.

Complaints have been also sent to the secretary of the Delimitation Commission at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi. Officials in New Delhi could not be contacted for details.

So far the SEC here has received no complaints from political parties. But party sources told The Telegraph that the Sikkim Sangram Parishad had filed a complaint at the office of the commission in New Delhi.

The 18 representations that have reached the commission at Tadong here include those from the Gorkha Apex Committee, the Sikkim Tamang Action Committee for Tribal Status and public complaints from constituencies like Regu, Aho-Yangtam, Sang Martam, Rongli and Kaluk-Rinchenpong. Transport minister S.B. Subedi also filed a representation in his individual capacity. A few organisations like the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha, Sikkim Nepali Ekta Sangathan and Sikkim Tribal Welfare Association have also voiced their grievances through letters addressed to the commission.

On April 5, the state government had republished notification No 282/SKM/2003 of the Delimitation Commission, New Delhi, which listed in detail the Assembly constituencies and the proposed extent of the 31 territorial constituencies. The 32nd constituency — an electoral college reserved for a “Sangha” (monks body) — requires no delimitation.

The Delimitation Commission said it would take up the suggestions and complaints after April 19 in public sittings to be held on April 22 and 23. Officials of the Central Delimitation Commission, headed by chairman Kuldeep Singh, will be present at the hearings.

The public hearing on April 22 has been scheduled at Namchi — the headquarters for the South and West districts.

The hearing at Gangtok, for the East and North districts, has been scheduled for April 23. The hearing at Namchi will be held at the Community Centre while the one at Gangtok will be held at the conference hall of the police headquarters.