Delimitation Comm meets many delegations in Jammu
NC says objections given already, NPP alleges discrepancies
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 4: The Delimitation Commission headed by Justice (Retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai here today held interaction with number of political parties, organizations, representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and individuals.
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The Congress, however, walked-out of the venue of Commission’s meeting saying it hasn’t been invited as a political party but allowed its leaders to meet the Panel individually. BJP UT president Ravinder Raina, BSP chief Som Raj Majotra, Nationalist Panthers Party (NPP) president Harshdev Singh and many others met the Panel from all 10 districts of Jammu division during the day.
The Commission will meet deputations from the Kashmir valley at Srinagar tomorrow before returning to New Delhi.
Expressing satisfaction over the functioning of Delimitation Commission, BJP UT president Ravinder Raina accused Congress of unleashing a “propaganda” against the independent body after losing credibility among the people.
Raina made the remarks shortly after meeting the members of the Commission.
Talking to reporters after meeting the Commission, Raina said Justice Desai led Commission with Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and State Election Commissioner K K Sharma as its members have done a tremendous job and came out with its draft proposal after over two years of hard work.
“They are available to hear the grievances and are meeting various delegations including elected Panchayat members, representatives of public and former legislators. People put forth their concerns and grievances and the Commission heard them. We are hopeful that the Commission will seriously look into the representations for redressal before preparing its final report,” the BJP leader said.
Asked about Congress terming the exercise as an “eyewash” to put a stamp on the report allegedly made at the behest of BJP, Raina said the commission is an autonomous body and headed by former chief justice of Supreme Court.
“Some political parties have lost their credibility in Jammu and Kashmir and are involved in such type of propaganda and Congress is one among them,” he said.
The BJP leader said the Commission is expected to submit its final report by its timeline of May 6 and “we are hopeful that it will be followed by Assembly elections which will take place within six to eight months as announced by the Prime Minister and Home Minister.”
Earlier, a three-member delegation of Congress — chief spokesperson and former MLC Ravinder Sharma, former Minister and general secretary Yogesh Sawhney and former MLA Ashok Dogra — walked out of the venue and said “we are boycotting the meeting with the Delimitation Commission as Congress as a party has not been invited.”
“The name of the Congress party is missing in the list of the invitees … Congress honoured the invitation extended to them as the Pradesh Congress Committee has filed a detailed objection to the draft report,” he said.
Sharma said the party, however, allowed individual leaders from different Assembly segments or districts to meet the Commission and point out glaring irregularities in the report as the party believes that the report required “drastic review” in the interest and convenience of the general public.
The Congress leader also questioned the meeting of the Commission with over 300 delegations in a couple of hours and said “it is injustice with the people.”
“We expect no justice from the Commission but want to meet it and give positive suggestions about all parts of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
BSP president Som Raj Majotra said in their meeting with the Commission they demanded enhancement of Assembly seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) from seven to nine.
“We also sought reservation of one Lok Sabha seat for SCs from out of five,” Majotra said.
Besides, he added, the BSP briefed the Commission about inclusion of Kathua North areas in Kathua South and vice versa.
Former Minister and chairman National Panthers Party (NPP) Harsh Dev Singh also demanded that there are some discrepancies in the draft report which needs to be done away for the benefit of the public.
“There are some anomalies with regard to redrawing of constituencies like Rajouri and Poonch districts were included in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency and likewise there was change in some Assembly seats and the people are not happy over it,” he said.
Singh said the NPP delegation also raised the issue of reservation of constituencies and favoured rotational concept rather than reserving a constituency for years together.
National Conference provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta said the party has already submitted objections to the Delimitation Commission twice but it hadn’t been invited by the Panel for meeting today.
Earlier, the Delimitation Commission, which has been tasked to redraw the boundaries of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, began its two-day long meetings with public and civil society for receiving suggestions and objections on its draft delimitation proposal for the Union Territory.
The Commission on March 14 had put its report in the public domain and invited objections and suggestions from people.
The Commission met large number of delegations and members of the public from Ramban, Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, Kathua and Doda, Samba, Reasi and Udhampur districts also and heard them. It received their representations.
Some members of the public and elected representatives raised various demands in terms of carving out new segments of Assemblies and also raised objections about the draft in which various areas have been merged with other areas of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies.
The official said that the people from Srinagar, Budgam, Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian will be part of the public sittings at SKICC in the first half on April 5 while the people from Ganderbal, Bandipora, Kupwara and Baramulla will participate in the sittings in the second half on the same day at the same venue in Srinagar.
Delimitation Commission, comprising Justice (retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai as chairperson, the Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and State Election Commissioner (SEC) K K Sharma as its members, was set up on March 6, 2020, with one year term. However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, its term was extended on March 6, 2021, by one year. It has now term till May 6.
It also has five Associate Members including Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma, both BJP MPs from Jammu division and three National Conference Lok Sabha members (Farooq Abdullah, Hasnain Masoodi and Mohammad Akbar Lone).
The report said the total number of seats in the Assembly has been increased to 90 with reservation of seven seats for SCs and nine for STs.
The three-member Commission has proposed six more seats in the Jammu region and only one additional seat in Kashmir in the proposed 90-member house.
Kashmir will have 47 Assembly seats and the Jammu region 43 seats.
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