Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 17: All Jammu & Kashmir Gujjar-Bakerwal Co-ordination Committee (JKGBCC) has strongly criticized formation of Government in Jammu and Kashmir and claimed that it is unconstitutional and undemocratic as members from eight reserved ST Assembly seats have been elected in violation of basic law of reservation.
Addressing a press conference here today, Chairman of the organization, Mohd Anwar Chowdhary (Advocate) claimed that 8 constituencies i.e. Surankote, Mendhar, Budhal, Thannamandi, Rajouri, Gulabgarh. Kangan and Kokernag were reserved only for Scheduled Tribe people, on Delimitation Commission’s recommendation in 2022, according to the last census held in 2011. He further said that some other people were unconstitutionally and illegally declared ST in the year 2024 and no political reservation was recommended for them as the earlier political reservation was according to the census of 2011, and there is no notification for reservation of Assembly seats for the people who were declared ST in 2024.
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He said after the abrogation of Article 370, the Central laws were made applicable to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir and consequently a Commission was constituted for Delimitation of constituencies headed by Retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. This Commission reserved 9 Assembly Seats for Scheduled Tribe according to the census of 2011. Later on, in 2024 some more communities were granted ST Tribe status and according to the notification and the decision of the Govt, they were provided 10% separate reservation from the earlier Scheduled Tribes. The leaders of Gujjar Community claimed that since there has been no new census after 2011 as such no political reservation was given to the people who were declared ST in 2024. But when the elections were announced by the Govt in J&K, the organizations of Gujjars had apprised the Govt of India and J&K that newly declared ST people having no political reservation cannot contest the elections on the Assembly seats which were already reserved for ST candidates according to their population of census 2011.
The Gujjar leaders said that Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu & Kashmir and concerned District Election Officers committed a great blunder by accepting the Election forms of the people who had no entitlement to contest on the above reserved constituencies. They alleged that the elections on the above seats have been held in violation of the constitutional provisions and basic laws.
They submitted a memorandum to the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and copies of the same were forwarded to Ministries of Home, ST SCs & Chief Election Commission of India and Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu & Kashmir and requested the LG not to notify and administer oath to the elected members from these constituencies.
The speakers appealed to the Chief Election Commission of India to declare the Assembly elections on the above 8 seats as null and void and fresh elections be held on the above reserved ST constituencies.
Senior members- Ishtiaq Ahmed Bhatti (Adv), Zaffer Iqbal Choudhaery (Adv), Jameel Choudhary (Adv), Pervaiz Choudhary (Adv) and others also accompanied.
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