The notifications altering constituencies in 24 states and union territories under the delimitation process on Tuesday received Presidential assent, an action that raises questions over early assembly polls in Karnataka.

President Pratibha Patil [Images] has given her assent to the delimitation proposal, a Rashtrapati Bhavan [Images] spokesman said, amid indications from the Law Ministry that it would come into immediate effect in almost all parts of the country.

This is except Meghalaya and Tripura, where the assembly poll process is already on, and therefore it would come into force from March 20.

Also excluded are four north-eastern states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland -- and Jharkhand where there are some problems in the delimitation exercise.

The political map of the country would undergo a drastic change with the proposal to redraw Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies.

It is unclear when the assembly polls would be held in Karnataka, where the President rule is set to expire by May end. EC sources had said earlier that it needed minimum three months time to carry out the delimitation process in the state, indicating that the poll would not be possible before August.

Last week, the Union Cabinet decided to recommend to the President to issue notifications at the earliest, to implement the Delimitation Commission recommendations in 24 states and union territories.

The delimitation process has already been completed for 3,726 assembly constituencies and 513 Lok Sabha constituencies in the rest of the country.

With the Presidential nod, the delimitation exercise would force several leaders, big and small, to start from the scratch and nurture new constituencies. After redrawing of the Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies, their pocket boroughs have disappeared.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kalyan Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati would have to find new seats as their traditional ones have become reserved constituencies.