The Delimitation Commission has not increased any Lok Sabha seats in Jammu Kashmir, nor reserved any for the existing Lok Sabha seats for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), However, it reserved seven seats for SCs and nine for STs in the Legislative Assembly.
The BJP Government set up the Commission after the unilateral abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. The commission is headed by Justice (Retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai and comprised Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra and State Election Commissioner (SEC) KK Sharma.
According to the Commission’s proposal, the number of Parliamentary seats in Jammu Kashmir would remain at five, while the number of assembly seats has gone upto 90- six seats were increased in Jammu and one in Kashmir. The Kashmir Jammu divisions presently each have two Lok Sabha seats, with one seat shared between the two divisions.
Jammu-Reasi and Udhampur-Doda constituencies exist in Jammu, whereas Srinagar-Budgam and Baramulla-Kupwara exist in Kashmir. Both divisions include the joint seat of Anantnag-Poonch.
The Commission said it has published its report in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary and in the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir, its proposals for the delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir for the purpose of elections to House of People (Lok Sabha) and Legislative Assembly.
“Copies of the Gazette are available for reference with the Chief Electoral Officer, UT of Jammu Kashmir and the Election officials in all districts of the Union Territory. Objections and suggestions to the peoples can be given to the Secretary, Delimitation Commission, Ashoka Hotel, 50-B, Niti Marg, Chankyapuri, New Delhi on or before 5 pm on March 21,” the statement said.
The pulic suggestions will be considered by the Commission in its public sitting in Jammu Kashmir on March 28 and 29, the location and timing of which will be notified separately, the statement added.
The nine seats that have been reserved for the STs include Kokernag in Anantnag district and Kangan in Ganderbal district. In Jammu Darhal and Thanna Mandi, in Rajouri district, Surankote and Mendhar in Poonch district and Mahore in Reasi district have been reserved for STs/
All seven seats reserved for SCs fall in the Jammu division.
The Commission’s timeline was extended till May 6 and there was a possibility that it might submit a final report within the timeline.
Twenty-four seats of the Assembly continue to remain vacant as they fall under Pakistan-administered Jammu Kashmir (PaK).
Meanwhile, political parties in Jammu Kashmir have rejected the proposals of the commission. The National Conference led by Farooq Abdullah has also presented their reservations to the commission. Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP has called the proposals “unacceptable.”
Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference and Bhim Singh’s National Panther’s Party have too rejected the commissions proposals.