oppn parties J&K: Delimitation Done, Elections Must Be Held At The Earliest

Story Of The Day

D Gukesh Is The Youngest New Challenger For The World Chess Crown
OPINIONS : Strongly Expressed

April 25, 2024

People Are Talking About

Rohit Warns Sarfaraz, Police Use It To Warn Two-Wheeler Riders

News Snippets

  • Congress says party has nothing to do with Pitroda's inheritance tax views and they are his own private views
  • Commenting on Sam Pitroda's remarks on inheritance tax, PM Modi says Congress wants to loot citizens even after their death
  • Record 56 students get 100 percentile in JEE (main) exam this year
  • Supreme Court says it cannot pass the order regarding EVMs just based on speculation of manipulation
  • Speculation over Tej Pratap Yadav's candidature from Kannauj ended with the SP declaring that Akhilesh Yadav will contest from the constituency
  • Supreme Court says it will not go by 'Marxist interpretation' of wealth redistribution while looking at the ambit of Article 39(b) of Directive Principles of State Policy
  • With subdued rural demand hitting revenue (which remained flat), HUL's profit declined for the first time after Covid-hit March 20 quarter as it posted a reduced profit in Q4 FY23
  • Credit card spend hits record Rs 1L cr in March, up 20% YoY
  • RBI stops Kotak Mahindra Bank from issuing fresh credit cards or onboard new clients online after detecting 'serious deficiencies' in its IT system
  • Stocks remain positive on Wednesday: Sensex gains 114 points to 73852 and Nifty gains 34 points to 22402
  • Asian U-20 Athletics: Deepanshu Sharma and Rohan Yadav make it one-two in javelin throw
  • IPL: Delhi Captials beat Gujarat Titans as Rishabh Pant (88 of 43 balls) and Axar Patel (66) guide them to 224/4. GT try hard but fall short by 4 runs
  • Supreme Court allows a raped minor to end her 30-week pregnancy
  • Mamata Banerjee calls Calcutta HC order in teacher appointment "illegal" and "one-sided", state government to file appeal in Supreme Court
  • Calcutta HC scraps TM|C government's 2016 process of appointing school teachers, 25757 teachers set to lose their jobs and asked to return their salaries
Row over inheritance tax escalates: PM Modi says Congress wants to loot citizens even after their death. Congress distances itself from Sam Pitroda's remarks
oppn parties
J&K: Delimitation Done, Elections Must Be Held At The Earliest

By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-05-06 07:28:21

About the Author

Sunil Garodia The India Commentary view

The J&K Delimitation Commission has notified its final report. Apart from some cosmetic changes, it reflects the decisions made public in the draft report published in December last year. The number of seats in the UT assembly has been increased by 7 to 90. There will be five parliamentary constituencies in the UT. Six new assembly constituencies (ACs) have been allotted to the Jammu region and one to the Kashmir valley. For the first time, nine seats have been reserved for scheduled tribes (ST). The commission has also recommended 2 nominated seats for the migrant community.

The commission said that for the purpose of delimitation, it treated the state as one monolithic unit. It also said that it considered factors such as continuity and geography in deciding the constituencies. It must have also considered factors such as physical features, boundaries of administrative units, communication facilities and public convenience (as provided for in the delimitation act). Also, it went by the J&K Reorganization Act, 2019. But the fact remains that the huge disparity in average population under each constituency in Kashmir valley and the Jammu region cannot be ignored.

The population of Kashmir valley is 6,888,475 and that of Jammu 5,350,811 as per the 2011 Census. Since Jammu region has been awarded 43 ACs it means that on an average there are 124347 people per seat being allocated for Jammu. On the other hand, there are 146563 people per AC in the Kashmir valley. Hence, the rationale of giving 6 more seats to Jammu and only 1 to Kashmir is not clear, even after considering other factors. The opposition has rightly criticized the award and said that the BJP is trying to push its agenda through the commission.

However, notification of the final report will clear the ground for holding elections in the UT. The government must not delay matters now. It must allow political activity to resume and hold elections as early as possible. The people of J&K should be governed by representatives elected by them and only an elected government can restore normalcy in the state. Once an elected government is in place the Centre must also look at restoring statehood for J&K at the earliest. 

Other Stories You Make Like

Editorials

Citizens' Right To Know Versus Politicians' Right To Privacy And The Test Of Proportionality

Citizens' Right To Know Versus Politicians' Right To Privacy And The Test Of Proportionality

 India's Young Guns Come To The Fore

India's Young Guns Come To The Fore

In Depth

As Per Hindu Marriage Act, Saptapadi Essential, Not Kanyadaan Says Allahabad HC

As Per Hindu Marriage Act, Saptapadi Essential, Not Kanyadaan Says Allahabad HC

Editor's Pick

The BJP Crushes The Opposition By Any & All Means

The BJP Crushes The Opposition By Any & All Means
© 2014 India Commentary. All rights reserved.