Barmer, Jan. 5 -- Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday strongly criticised the recent reshuffling of boundaries between Barmer and Balotra districts, calling it an arbitrary order. He alleged that the decision was not taken for public convenience but to serve political interests and manage future delimitation and electoral equations. HT had reported earlier that the state government overnight altered the geographical boundaries of two border districts - Barmer and Balotra. On December 31, the revenue department issued a notification reorganizing areas of both districts. Under the reorganization, Baytu sub-division has been removed from Balotra and merged back into Barmer, while Gudamalani and Dhorimanna areas of Barmer have been included in Balotra district. This exchange of areas between the two districts has sparked political opposition and intensified local political tensions. In a post on social media, Gehlot wrote that the boundary changes made hastily at midnight on December 31 clearly show the intent of the BJP-led state government. "Our government created new districts to bring administration closer to the people, but the present government is ignoring public sentiment and is busy serving only political interests," he said. Gehlot further said that the sudden reorganization of district boundaries late at night was another example of the government's arbitrary decisions. He pointed out that instead of reducing the distance to the district headquarters for people of the Gudamalani region, the move has increased it, which he termed as an injustice to the public. He also questioned the administrative logic behind including Baytu in Barmer district and Gudamalani-Dhorimanna in Balotra district. According to him, this decision has made access to district headquarters more difficult for residents of Gudamalani, causing serious inconvenience to the public. Reacting to the comments, BJP leader and district vice president Ramesh Singh said it was a habit of the Congress to oppose every move, adding that only Congress leaders were protesting the decision while local residents had welcomed it. He said the decision would help people of Dhorimanna and Gudamalani secure jobs at the refinery, as they would now qualify under the local resident criteria. Meanwhile, protests have begun in Dhorimanna, where local residents have started a sit-in demonstration. Former minister Hemaram Chaudhary has also announced support for the protest and joined it. He said, "I reached the protest site in Dhorimanna today and interacted with the common people, understanding their pain firsthand over the state government's anti-people decision. There is deep concern and anger across all sections of society regarding this move, as it directly affects public convenience, security, and justice. This movement is not about politics; it is about protecting public interest and people's rights. I once again urge the state government to immediately reconsider this decision. I stand firmly with the people in this just fight for justice." Political observers said that the boundary changes are expected to impact future assembly constituency delimitation, which will now be carried out based on the revised district boundaries. Baytu is represented by Congress MLA Harish Chaudhary, who is also the Madhya Pradesh Congress in-charge, and the changes could potentially affect his political prospects. Gudamalani, on the other hand, is the constituency of minister KK Vishnoi....