The Delimitation Commission, set up to redraw the Assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, has been given two more months to complete the exercise, a notification from the Union Law Ministry said on Tuesday.
The extension will further delay an announcement to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir that is now a Union Territory but with a provision for a legislature.
The term of the panel, headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice (retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai, was coming to end on March 6. While Chief Election Commissioner Shushil Chandra and the Election Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir are ex-officio members of the Commission, all the five Lok Sabha members from the Union Territory are its associate members.
Redrawing boundaries
The commission came into being by virtue of an Act of the Parliament, under the provisions of Part V of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. It is redrawing boundaries of seven additional seats for the 83-member Assembly.
“In exercise of powers conferred by Section 3 of the Delimitation Act 2002 (33 of 2002), the Central government hereby makes the further amendment of two months in the notification of Government of India in the Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative department no So-1015(e) dated 6th March 2020. In the notification in paragraph two for the words ‘two years’ the words ‘two years and two months’ shall be substituted,” read the gazette notification.
Originally set up in March 2020, the commission was given a one-year extension as its work got delayed after the National Conference (NC) had refused to participate in the deliberations.
The NC decided to take part in the commission proceedings only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an all-party meeting in June 2021.
First draft proposal
In its first draft proposal, the commission suggested an increase of six Assembly segments in the Jammu province and one in the Kashmir province. It has also suggested reservation of seven seats for Scheduled Castes and nine seats for Scheduled Tribes.
While most Kashmir-based parties, including the NC and the Peoples Democratic Party accused the commission of “gerrymandering” and termed the report “unacceptable”, the BJP in Jammu welcomed the proposals.
