Government planning to redraw Jammu and Kashmir assembly constituency borders: Sources
Minister Amit Shah has hit the ground running with back-to-back meetings with senior officials of various ministeries and agencies in the past few days. Sources suggest that among the crucial things on his table is the long-pending delimitation of constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.
With President’s Rule operational in the strife-torn state, Home Minister Amit Shah has already had a closed door meeting with Governor Satyapal Malik. He also met Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain and Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
Among other things, on the drawing board, is believed to be the action plan for fresh delimitation of constituencies and appointment of a delimitation commission. At the very heart of the delimitation exercise is redrawing the scope and size of assembly constituencies and determining the number of seats to be reserved for SCs.
This is, in the main to correct an inequity and anomaly of regional disparity long suffered by Jammu province and also provide representation to all reserved categories in the state assembly.
The main grouse of Jammu being that growing imbalance emerging out of composition of various constituencies would continue.
Another section of thought is that Kashmir Valley claims that it has no SC or ST while Gujjars, Bakerwals and Gaddies were given ST status in 1991 and form 11 per cent of the population but have no political reservation.
The last time a delimitation exercise took place in the state was also under President’s Rule, as far back as 1995 in extremely difficult circumstances by the Justice (retd) KK Gupta Commission. Incidentally, the Constitution provides for delimitation every 10 years, the next delimitation of assembly constituencies should have logically taken place in 2005.
However, in 2002, the Farooq Abdullah government chose to freeze delimitation until 2026 by amending the Jammu & Kashmir Representation of the People Act 1957 and Section 47(3) of the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir.
J&K parties oppose delimitation
The reports on the plans about starting the delimitation process fro Jammu and Kashmir Assembly constituencies triggered a sharp response from both National Conference and People’s Democratic Party.
NC chief Omar Abdullah said that the BJP was welcome to apply delimitation to J&K when it does the same for rest of the country.
Omar Abdullah tweeted, “When delimitation takes place in the rest of the country the BJP is welcome to apply it to J&K until then we in the @JKNC_ will oppose, tooth & nail, any attempt to make changes without a mandate from the people of the state.
“It’s rather surprising that the BJP, which talks about bringing J&K at par with other states by removing 370 & 35-A now wants to treat J&K differently from other states in this one respect.
“The freeze on delimitation was applied to J&K and was done to bring the state in line with the rest of the country. The same was challenged & upheld in both the High Court of J&K & the Supreme Court.” NC chief also shared his detailed response on his Facebook page.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said that she was distressed to hear the plans.
“Distressed to hear about GoIs plan to redraw assembly constituencies in J&K. Forced delimitation is an obvious attempt to inflict another emotional partition of the state on communal lines. Instead of allowing old wounds to heal, GoI is inflicting pain on Kashmiris,” she said on Twitter.
