Col Shiv Choudhary
We all are aware that a Delimitation Commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai was ordered by , the President of India in Mar 2020 for the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a key step to hold elections in the union territory, which could then perhaps pave the way for restoration of statehood. The Commission has already been accorded two extensions and it is now required to submit its report by 5 May 2022. The objective of the commission is to redraw boundaries based on census data of 2011 so that the population of all seats, as far as practical, is the same throughout the state.
There have been numerous controversies and resentments about working of this commission starting from taking census data of 2011 to the very first proposal which was made public on 14 Mar 2022. This proposal reflected an increase of six assembly seats for Jammu and one for Kashmir division to make it 90 seats in the UT. These 90 seats included 7 for SC and 9 for ST with no change in the number for Lok Sabha seats. Unfortunately, all seven seats reserved for SCs fall in the Jammu region only, including Ramnagar, Kathua South, Ramgarh, Bishnah, Suchetgarh, Marh and Akhnoor.
The proposal has come for a very sharp criticism from many assemblies, regions, political parties, DDC and Panchayat level workers, general public and other observers. They all feel that the commission while redesigning of constituencies, have not kept in mind the important factors like administrative viability, geographical contiguity, connectivity, convenience and compactness and has instead gone ahead for an exercise ignoring these.
This multifaceted resentment was amply witnessed in the first round of interactions and now on 4 Apr during the representations made by numerous stake holders. A critical look at just a few areas/ localities merged and demerged and proposed as reserved for SC surely reveal overlooking of not only the fundamental parameters but few other genuine factors considered or ignored selectively.
The worst affected by the proposal announced on 14 Mar 2022 has been over 4.5 lakh population of Jat community of the UT settled all along the border from Kathua to Poonch post Indo Pak war of 1947, 1965 and 1971. Out of this long stretch of settlements, the concentration of the community has been in the constituency of Marh, Suchetgarh and newly created Ramgarh. These are the people who face maximum brunt of regular border firing and skirmishes and constituency of erstwhile Chhamb area too was geld by it during seventies. Their serious grouse of being politically scuttled is surely not misplaced.
Suchetgarh has been traditionally held by Jat community from its inception and Marh three times by its community candidate. Everyone is aware that for good or bad, the voting in India takes place on community basis pattern. These two constituencies have produced ministers and an MP too. Unfortunately all the three constituencies including the so called newly gifted Ramgarh have been reserved for SC for the best reasons known to the hon’ble commission.
This new arrangement has come as a rude shock to the people of the community spread across all regions and districts of the UT. They feel that the political future of the community has been scuttled by the Commission by being very unfair to it. This also means that hereafter it needs to wait for another odd 30 years to see opening of these constituencies as the last Delimitation Commission did the same exercise during 1994-95. In other words, till then the community will keep voting for other community candidates while they face the bullets on regular basis.
This betrayal had been equally felt by the Suchetgarh office bearers and council members across all castes which had led to en masse resignation after the report was leaked. One may recall that as per leaked report, Suchetgarh was merged with RS Pura and as a result of anguish, anger, processions and en masse resignation, the same has now been restored.
The community also feels that Ramgarh area does not have the minimum required population of SC to qualify. To make up this shortfall, the far distant parts of Rajpura and Samba tehsil like Kathli, Ramnagar and Pangdour have been clubbed with Ramgarh at the cost of set parameters to purposely reserve it for SC brethrens. Such avoidable arrangements are also evident from designing of RS Pura- Jammu constituency with the surprised clubbing of Chowadi, Sainik Colony, part of Bahu, Digiana and few municipality wards in it.
Another glaring example has been clubbing of Gurha Salathia with Samba and adding far off votes from Purmandal area with Vijaypur for reasons well understood by the resenting public especially the people of Gurha Salathia itself as was echoed loudly on 4 Apr 2022 against this arrangement. Joining of Poonch and Rajouri areas with Anantnag seat, is another issue of two geographically and diametrically different regions separated by mountain ranges as an illogical proposition.
General feeling is that the proposal published in the new papers is painfully neither in tune with the reality on ground being arbitrarily mooted nor to the satisfaction of a long list of stake holders from Jammu region as was observed before the Commission on 4 Apr 22. Some people also feel that the objections sought by the Commission from the public are mere eye wash unless Commission reconsiders suggestions. Thus, there is need to dispel this public impression.
Speaking purely for the Jat community, its leadership has made an earnest appeal before the hon’ble commission with relevant facts and figures to consider declaring at least Ramgarh and Suchetgarh constituencies as ‘Open Constituencies’ to meet the soaring aspirations of nearly five lakh people. Given the unity and leadership and the thin margin between the losing and winning candidates, this community can otherwise influence the voting pattern of the many other constituencies across regional and political boundaries.
The community is hopeful that the Commission will surely consider its plea with all the wisdom, practicality and sagacity. It is not a tough call for the commission. It is also time for few silent leaders of the community to come out of individual cocoons to show solidarity for the community sake in getting Ramgarh and Suchetgarh as ‘Open Constituencies’.
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