NC to call Working Committee meet to take decision
BJP to submit detailed document for justice with Jammu
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 3: The Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai has sought written suggestions on delimitation of Assembly constituencies for first Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory from five Associate Members of the Commission-three belonging to National Conference and two to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
While the two BJP members including Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma, both Lok Sabha members from Udhampur-Doda and Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha constituencies respectively have decided to submit comprehensive suggestions to the Delimitation Commission seeking fair distribution of seats and an end to years long political discrimination with Jammu region, the National Conference will take a call in next few days whether to submit suggestions to the Commission or not as the party has so far dissociated itself from the Panel.
NC’s Lok Sabha member from Baramulla-Kupwara constituency Mohammad Akbar Lone, who is also Associate Member of the Delimitation Commission, told the Excelsior on telephone from Srinagar that the National Conference Working Committee will take a decision in next 3-4 days on whether the party MPs should send suggestions to the Delimitation Commission or not.
“We will sit with Dr Farooq Abdullah (National Conference president) and then our Working Committee will take decision whether to submit suggestions to the Delimitation Commission or not,” Lone said.
He added that the Working Committee will meet in next 3-4 days.
The National Conference had refused to attend first meeting of the Delimitation Commission with Associate Members in New Delhi on February 18 on the ground that the party has challenged Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act in the Supreme Court under which the Commission has been set up.
However, the NC’s boycott of the Commission had drawn sharp criticism from party’s staunch supporter and veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had said the National Conference has majority in Associate Members with three Lok Sabha MPs and they should have attended the meeting of the Panel.
“By choosing to boycott the meeting, the National Conference has not done good thing,” Azad had said.
Altaf Bukhari, president Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party had also criticized the National Conference with trying to compromise interests of the people by staying away from the Commission meeting.
Sources said the National Conference is under pressure that if it continued to opt out of the meetings of the Delimitation and even don’t submit written suggestions sought by the Panel, the BJP with two Associate Members will have major say as Kashmir region is represented by the National Conference. NC had won all three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir while BJP had captured two Parliamentary seats of Jammu region. Congress and PDP don’t have any representation in the Parliament.
Speaker Om Birla had last year nominated five Lok Sabha MPs of Jammu and Kashmir as Associate Members of the Delimitation Commission.
Meanwhile, BJP members of Lok Sabha–Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and Jugal Kishore Sharma have been drafting comprehensive documents for submission in writing to the Delimitation Commission as sought by its chairperson Justice (Retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai.
Sources said the two BJP MPs will cite various factors in support of discrimination done earlier with the Jammu region in respect of Assembly seats and suggest measures to undo the injustice by increasing number of seats in the region.
The BJP, according to sources, is likely to seek more seats for Jammu region on various factors like geography, topography, hilly terrain, road connectivity etc.
The Delimitation Commission headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, a retired Judge of the Supreme Court, comprised Sushil Chandra, Election Commissioner and KK Sharma, State Election Commissioner. Five Lok Sabha members from J&K are Associate Members of the Commission.
As exclusively reported by the Excelsior earlier, one-year-term of the Delimitation Commission chairperson which is expiring on March 5, is likely to be extended.
While splitting Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories through the Reorganization Act, the Union Home Ministry had increased Assembly seats of Jammu and Kashmir by seven taking total seats to 114-24 of which are reserved for Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) while election will be held for 90 seats.
Erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir had 111 seats including 24 reserved for PoK while elections were held for 87 seats. With creation of Ladakh as Union Territory, four seats of the region were reduced and the Assembly was left with 83 seats. However, with increase of seven seats, J&K UT will have an Assembly of 90 seats. Two Women MLAs will be nominated to the House, which was the position earlier also.
In the previous Assembly, Kashmir had 46 seats, Jammu 37 and Ladakh four.
Delimitation of the Assembly constituencies was last held in 1994-95 during the President’s Rule when seats of the erstwhile State Assembly were raised from 76 to 87. Jammu region’s seats were increased from 32 to 37, Kashmir’s from 42 to 46 and Ladakh’s two to four. However, the delimitation was freezed in 2002 by the then National Conference Government headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah in lines with the decision taken by then Central Government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Elections to the Legislative Assembly will be held only after delimitation of Assembly constituencies is completed.
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