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

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

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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.