All political parties except the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are against the commission’s decision in regard to Jammu and Kashmir. The delimitation commission has completed its final report on the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and Lok Sabha. The Central government’s final decision is essential because it will pave the way for the J&K elections.
Demarcation Proposal Of Jammu and Kashmir
In the report proposed by the demarcation commission, there is a suggestion to increase the total assembly seats to 7, inclusive of 6 seats in Jammu and one seat in Kashmir. Thus, the number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly will become from 83 to 90, and the number of Lok Sabha seats shall reduce to five.
The commission has also proposed a change in the state’s seat composition. Jammu assembly seats would change from 37 to 43, and Kashmir assembly seats would change from 46 to 47. Six districts of the Jammu region, namely Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Rajouri, Samba, Udhampur, and Kupwada of the Kashmir region, would witness an addition in Assembly seats.
The report also proposes to reserve nine seats for scheduled tribes, out of which six are for Jammu, while three are from Kashmir. It recommends reserving seats for Kashmiri Pandits and POK’s displaced refugees. Another suggestion in the report was renaming some assembly seats.
The report redefines the geographical boundaries of a few assembly seats. For instance, Srinagar’s Shia-dominated constituency moves to Baramulla, and Pir Panjal of Jammu attaches to Anantnag of Kashmir.
BJP’s Benefit
Jammu and Kashmir’s demarcation is a politically tensed issue. It is directly adjacent to the delineation of Muslim-dominated Kashmir and Hindu-dominated Jammu in the legislative assembly. Due to 46 seats from Kashmir and 44 seats from Jammu, Chief Ministers of J&K are usually from Kashmir’s side. Experts say that the addition of 6 more positions through the delimitation of Jammu could bolster BJP politics in Jammu and Kashmir.
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