Qazi Shibli
The Delimitation Commission in its report has recommended the merger of Rajouri and Poonch into Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, among several other changes.
In its interim report, the assembly segments seem to have been heavily scattered against the existing structure of the seats.
In earlier instances, seats in Jammu Kashmir were delimited in 1963, 1973, and 1995. The last commission of 1995 was headed by Justice K.K. Gupta. The next delimitation was scheduled in 2005, but in 2002, the then state government froze the delimitation process until 2026.
However, after the abrogation of Article 370 by the Modi-led government in 2019 August, a delimitation Commission was formed by the Government. Assembly elections have not been held in the region after June 2018 when the BJP pulled out of the coalition Government with PDP.
The commission in its draft proposal discussed in New Delhi had increased the number of Assembly seats in the Jammu region from 37 to 43 while in Kashmir the tally has been increased from 46 to 47.
As per the Delimitation proposal, a copy of which was accessed by The Kashmiriyat, Anantnag which had six existing assembly seats will see the addition of one seat. As per the document, Pulwama, Shopian, Tral will now be a part of the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.
In central Kashmir’s Srinagar district, 8 seats have been proposed which include Hazratbal, Khanyar, South Srinagar, Sonwar, Chanapora, Zoonimar, Eidgah and Central Shalteng. The central Kashmir district has a total population of 1221191.
The 5 proposed seats in central Kashmir’s Budgam, (population 1008039) include Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahib, Charar-i-Sharief and Chadoora In Ganderbal, which has a total populace of Ganderbal – 313084, the number of the states has remained undistorted. The proposed seats include Kangan and Ganderbal.
Meanwhile, in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district which has a popultion of 302232, 3 seats have been proposed including Sonawari, Bandipora and Gurez.
In the district Kupwara of North Kashmir, 6 seats have been proposed, namely Kamah, Zahgam, Kupwara, Lolab, Handwara and Langate. The North Kashmir district has a total population of 870354. The 7 seats proposed in Baramulla district of North Kashmir include Sopore, Rohama Rafiabad, Uri, Baramulla, Tangmarg, Kunzer and Pattan.
Meanwhile, in southern district of Anantnag, the proposed 7 seats include Dooru, Larnoo, Anantnag West, Anantnag, Bijbehara, Anantnag East and Pahalgam. The district has a total population of 1078692 as per the 2011 census.
In southern district Kulgam’s with a population of 424483, the commission has proposed 3 seats include D.H. Pora, Kulgam and Devsar. The district had four assembly segments in 2014 elections.
Anantnag parliamentary seat which has a total population of 26,20,539, according to the new draft, will see a reduction of several assembly constituencies which include Pampore, Shopian, Pulwama, and the addition of Poonch and Rajouri. The total population of STs in this Lok Sabha seat is 19.66 percent, i.e., around 5,15,000 persons.
Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, as per the proposal, has 20,98,613 and a total population of 10.82 percent registered as Scheduled Tribes.
Srinagar will see the induction of Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Shopian. The Lok Sabha seat has a total populace of 26,77, 448, of which 5.16 percent are registered as Scheduled Tribes.
Budgam and Beerwah of Central Kashmir have been inducted into Baramulla parliamentary seat, with a total population of 25, 86,537. The registered percentage of scheduled tribes in the North Kashmir seat is 7.10 per cent.
Meanwhile regional parties from the Kashmir valley have sharply criticized the interim proposal stating it was biased.