Delimitation In J&K Is Overdue
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2021-06-25 01:52:01
About the Author
After the meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Omar Abdullah of National Conference told reporters that "almost all leaders" were unhappy with delimitation only in Jammu and Kashmir. "In other states, delimitation will be taken up in 2026, why has Jammu and Kashmir been singled out? We told the PM delimitation is not needed," asked the former Chief Minister. Earlier too, Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP had said that "the tearing hurry with which GOI (the Government of India) is railroading delimitation in J&K has raised genuine & serious apprehensions about the motives of this exercise. It's a part of BJP's larger plan to divide & pit regions, religions & communities against each other". Why are these leaders against the delimitation exercise? Are their objections valid?
A delimitation exercise fixes the limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a province having a legislative body. This is done periodically to account for change in population numbers and density. Article 81 of the Indian Constitution says that the number of Lok Sabha seats in a state should be allocated in such a manner that, "the ratio between that number and the population of the state is, so far as practicable, the same for all States". The last delimitation exercise for assembly seats in J&K was done in 1995 as per the 1981 Census figures while in the rest of India, it was done between 2002 and 2008. The delimitation in J&K as per the 2001 Census could not be carried out as the J&K assembly put a freeze on the exercise till 2026. It could do so as the delimitation for assembly seats in the state was governed by the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution and Jammu and Kashmir Representation of the People Act, 1957 as per its special status.
But a lot has changed in these 25 years since the 1981 Census and the last delimitation. For one, after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the delimitation of assembly seats in the UT will now be governed by the constitution of India. Then, as per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, the number of Assembly seats in J&K would increase from 107 to 114. At present, Jammu has 37 and the Kashmir Valley 46 seats in the 83 member house (after deducting 4 seats of Ladakh as it is now a separate UT). The Jammu region will be the major beneficiary after reorganization and delimitation and that will change the equations. That is one of the main reasons why NC, PDP and other J&K parties are protesting against the exercise now.
But is the Centre singling out J&K for delimitation? Is it wrong to update the constituencies in the state now as per the Indian constitution since the last exercise was done in 1995, 8 to 13 years before it was last done in the rest of the country? In fact, J&K singled itself out when the state assembly put a freeze on delimitation till 2026 although the exercise was done in the rest of the country. Is it actually the âBJP's larger plan to divide & pit regions, religions & communities against each otherâ or an exercise to give each region of the state a proportionate say in its affairs by updating and increasing the assembly constituencies as per the latest available population data?
