BJP for end to discrimination
One-year term likely to be extended
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 9: National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah and two other Lok Sabha members of the party are set to abstain from the first meeting of the Delimitation Commission with Associate Members in New Delhi on February 18 on the ground that delimitation wasn’t required in Jammu and Kashmir while the two BJP members will forcefully call for increasing number of Assembly constituencies in Jammu to undo “political discrimination” with the region earlier.
Justice (Retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai, chairperson of the Delimitation Commission has called the first meeting with five Associate Members of the Commission in New Delhi on February 18.
Confirming that National Conference Lok Sabha members will abstain from the meeting, party’s MP from Baramulla-Kupwara constituency Mohammad Akbar Lone, who also happens to be former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, told the Excelsior that he will not be attending meeting of the Delimitation Commission.
“I think all three Lok Sabha MPs of National Conference, who are Associate Members of the Delimitation Commission, will not attend the meeting,” Lone said.
Asked for reasons for not joining first meeting of the Delimitation Commission, Lone said there was no need for fresh delimitation of the Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.
Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh, who happens to be the BJP member from Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat and an Associate Member of the Commission, said it has been known stand of the BJP that there should be delimitation of the Assembly constituencies as Jammu region had been denied its due share of seats earlier.
BJP has two members in the Delimitation Commission including Dr Jitendra Singh and party’s Lok Sabha member from Jammu-Poonch constituency Jugal Kishore Sharma.
Insiders in the BJP said the party members are likely to press for undoing the discrimination meted out to the Jammu region by the previous Delimitation Commission by giving it nine seats less than Kashmir.
As this is first meeting of the Delimitation Commission with the Associate Members, sources said, the Members could be briefed on progress made by the Commission during last 11 months of its tenure.
At the time of setting up of the Commission, the Union Ministry for Law and Justice had given one-year term to its chairperson Justice (Retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai which is scheduled to end on March 6. However, the term could be extended, sources said.
The Delimitation Commission hasn’t visited Jammu and Kashmir even once so far, mainly because of Coronavirus pandemic which broke out as soon as the Commission was set up.
Besides Desai, who is chairperson of the Commission, Sushil Chandra, Election Commissioner and KK Sharma, State Election Commissioner, are also members of the Commission.
The Commission was mandated to delimit the constituencies of the Union Territory in accordance with the provisions of Part V of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 and Delimitation Act, 2002.
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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