The Delimitation Commission headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai finalised the delimitation process in Jammu and Kashmir and released the notification on the new status of 90 Assembly constituencies in the State. Now, 43 constituencies will be part of Jammu region and 47 will be in Kashmir region.
Reservation for ST community
The Commission, which held detailed discussions with political parties and other stakeholders during the exercise, said nine Assembly constituencies have been reserved for STs, out of which six are in Jammu region and three are in the Valley. “It is worthwhile to mention that the Constitution of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State did not provide for reservation of seats for the Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly,” the Commission said in a statement.
The State will continue to have five Parliamentary Constituencies. The panel considered Jammu and Kashmir region as one single Union Territory and one constituency has been carved out combining Anantnag region in the Valley and Rajouri, Poonch of Jammu region. “According to this reorganisation, each Parliamentary Constituency will have 18 Assembly constituencies each,” the release said.
The Opposition parties, however, are not happy with the final declaration. CPI(M) leader and spokesman of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, Yousuf Tarigami, said the delimitation exercise is bound to alter the electoral demography of the region in the long run. “Though the Delimitation Commission was constituted under the Delimitation Act of 2002, it has redrawn the constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the provisions of J&K Re-organisation Act 2019 which has been challenged in the Supreme Court. The said Re-organisation Act modified the law of enfranchisement of J&K. Voting rights for the State Assembly which were restricted to only permanent residents have been extended to non-State subjects also. The exercise is bound to disempower the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the long run,” Tarigami said.
Name changes
The Commission said names of some constituencies have also been changed keeping in view the demand of local representatives. Name changes included naming Tangmarg as Gulmarg, Zoonimar as Zaidibal, Sonwar as Lal Chowk, Padder as Padder-Nagseni, Kathua North as Jasrota, Kathua South as Kathua, Khour as Chhamb, Mahore as Gulabhgarh and Darhal as Budhal.
The Commission recommended the Centre to provide at least two members (one of them must be a female) from the community of Kashmiri migrants in the Legislative Assembly and such members may be given power at par with the power of nominated members, of the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Puducherry. It has also recommended that the Centre gives displaced individuals from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir some representation in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, by way of nomination of representatives of the displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.