Redrawing boundaries

29/05/2020

The Central Government had constituted the Delimitation Commission on March 7 with Ranjana Prakash Desai as the Chairperson and the Election Commission of India had nominated Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra as its representative member to the Commission. This can be said that it the beginning of the revival of democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir and a major way forward towards delimitation of 90 Assembly constituencies before conduct of first Assembly elections in the Union Territory, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has nominated associate members to the Delimitation Commission set up by the Centre for J&K headed by Justice (Retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai. The members include Dr Jitendra Singh, Lok Sabha member from Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat, Dr Farooq Abdullah, the National Conference president and Lok Sabha member from Srinagar, Mohammad Akbar Lone, Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla, Jugal Kishore Sharma, MP from Jammu-Poonch constituency, Hasnain Masoodi, Member of Parliament from Anantnag. The members have been nominated under Section 5 of the Delimitation Act of 2002. Nomination of associate members of the Delimitation Commission by the Lok Sabha Speaker has facilitated the Delimitation Commission to undertake the exercise for delimitation of Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir to clear decks for first elected Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) J&K Hirdesh Kumar will also be a member of the Delimitation Commission for J&K in his capacity as the CEO of the Union Territory.
With nomination of associate members to the Delimitation Commission by the Lok Sabha Speaker, decks have been cleared for the Commission to undertake exercise for delimitation of 90 Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, a mandatory exercise for conduct of Assembly elections in the Union Territory. The order didn’t mention the time period in which the Delimitation Commission will submit report, but it said the appointment of Justice Desai will be for a period of one year or till further orders whichever is earlier which indicated that the Commission might take an year’s time for fixing boundaries of 90 Assembly seats granted to the Legislature of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Commission will delimit the constituencies of the Union Territory in accordance with the provisions of Part V of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 and Delimitation Act, 2002.
As earlier reported by JOURNEY LINE, splitting Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories through the Reorganization Act, which was approved by the Parliament on August 6 last year, the Union Home Ministry had increased Assembly seats of Jammu and Kashmir by seven taking total seats to 114 24 of which are reserved for Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) while election will be held for 90 seats. Erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir had 111 seats including 24 reserved for PoK while elections were held for 87 seats. With creation of Ladakh as Union Territory, four seats of the region were reduced and the Assembly was left with 83 seats. However, with increase of seven seats, J&K UT will have an Assembly of 90 seats. Two Women MLAs will be nominated to the House, which was the position earlier also.

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