After getting two months extension to draft its report, the Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission on Thursday signed the final draft of its report. The report is expected to submit the Ministry of Home Affairs this evening.
According to reports, the panel, mandated to redraw the boundaries of assembly and parliamentary constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, is likely to submit the final draft today.
The completion of the exercise will pave the way for holding elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This would be the first election in the UT after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of J&K into two Union Territories by the BJP-led NDA government in August 2019.
Key highlights:
NINE SEATS RESERVED FOR STs FOR THE FIRST TIME
ALL FIVE PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES TO HAVE EQUAL NUMBER OF ACs FOR THE FIRST TIME
OF THE 90 ACs, 43 WILL BE PART OF JAMMU REGION AND 47 FOR KASHMIR REGION
JAMMU AND KASHMIR TREATED AS A SINGLE ENTITY FOR THE PURPOSES OF DELIMITATION
PATWAR CIRCLE IS THE LOWEST ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT WHICH HAS NOT BEEN BROKEN
ALL ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCIES SHALL REMAIN WITHIN THE BOUNDARY OF CONCERNED DISTRICT
COMMISSION RECOMMENDSADDITIONAL SEATS IN ASSEMBLY FOR KASHMIRI MIGRANTS AND DISPLACED PERSONS FROM POJK
Reactions of opposition parties
While hailing members of the panel for completing the task within the stipulated time, J&K president of BJP Ravinder Raina observed that this is the first step towards establishing a popular government in the Union Territory.
"Despite the pandemic, the members of the panel have completed the report by interacting with every section of the society including elected representatives", Raina told The International Bussiness Times.
"Although the final report has yet not been released, I am confident that the wishes and aspirations of all sections of the society have been incorporated in the report", Raina said, adding, "with the completion of this exercise the process to conduct assembly elections will be expedited".
Chief spokesperson of J&K Congress Ravinder Sharma, however, said that panel has failed to accommodate issues raised by different regions and sub-regions. "We are not expecting anything positive from the panel because the report which is put in the public domain is full of discrepancies", he told the International Business Times.
Echoing in the same language, the spokesman of PDP, Varinder Singh said, "Our party has no faith in Delimitation Commission. This panel is working at the behest of the BJP just to disempower people of Jammu and Kashmir".
Panel's term to end on May 6
After getting two extensions, the term of the Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission is going to end on May 6.
On February 21, the Union Government had granted an extension of two months to the Delimitation Commission constituted by it in 2020 to redraw assembly constituencies in the Union Territory.
The Commission's term was to end on March 6, but according to a Law Ministry notification issued on February 21, 2022, it has been extended by two months — till May 6 this year.
The order to give two months extension to the Commission was issued by Diwakar Singh, joint secretary Ministry of Law and Justice.
It was granted a year's extension and then another extension of two months in February this year to complete its task, for the term that was to otherwise end on March 6.
Panel constituted in March 2020
Headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, the Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir was constituted by the Centre on March 6, 2020, to redraw Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies of the Union Territory.
The panel was constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which bifurcated the erstwhile state into the union territories of J&K and Ladakh.
The Commission has Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and the state election commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir as its ex-officio members.
The elections to the Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be held only after the process of delimitation is completed.
Commission put its report in the public domain on March 14
After incorporating some of the suggestions of the associate members, the Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir put its report in the public domain and invited objections from the general masses till March 21, 2020.
According to a statement issued by the Secretary of the Commission, the number of Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir will remain five and no Parliamentary seat has been reserved with Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
"The total number of seats to be assigned to the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir is 90. Of the total number of 90 seats so assigned to the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, the number of seats to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes as 7 and 9 respectively", the statement reads.
Earlier the Delimitation Commission submitted its draft report to five associate members on February 4 to file objections till February 14. On the last day, National Conference and BJP filed objections and suggestions.
The panel has upheld its earlier proposal of increasing six Assembly seats in the Jammu division as one in the Kashmir Valley despite objections filed by three National Conference members. The Commission has also decided to redraw the boundaries of five Lok Sabha constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir.
In its draft report shared with its five associated members — all Lok Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir — the delimitation panel has proposed an overhaul of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in the Union territory.
