Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission has made public its report on re-delineation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies on Monday and asked them to submit objections and suggestions by March 21. The commission, in its final report published in the Gazettes of India and Jammu and Kashmir, has proposed to keep the number of Lok Sabha constituencies at five while increasing the number of assembly seats to 90 from the present 83. The report proposes to increase the assembly seats to six in Jammu and one in Kashmir.
The detailed resolution, published in leading newspapers on Monday, also included two dissenting notes signed by four of the five associate members of the commission. The dissenting motions are signed by three National Conference MPs Farooq Abdullah, Hasnain Masoodi and Mohammad Akbar Lone and BJP MP Jugal Kishor. Union Minister Jitendra Singh is the sixth associate member of the commission.
Commission secretary K. N. “The commission invites objections and suggestions in this regard,” Bhar said in the notification. According to the notification, any objections and suggestions regarding the proposals should reach the office of the Secretary, Delimitation Commission on or before March 21. The notification said that the commission will consider these (suggestions) during public meetings in the union territory on March 28 and 29. “The venue and timing of the above meetings will be notified separately,” it added.
Copies of the Gazette are available for reference to the Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir and the Election Officers in all the districts of the Union Territory. The commission was given a two-month extension on March 6 and was to submit a report before May 6. According to the draft resolution made public on Monday, there has been no increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly, there is no reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Union Territory’s parliamentary seat.
It is proposed to increase the number of J&K assembly seats to 90, out of which seven seats will be reserved for SC and nine for ST, the report said. Jammu-Reasi and Udhampur-Doda elections in Jammu division, the draft said. While the Kashmir division will have Srinagar-Budgam and Baramulla-Kupwara. Anantnag-Poonch seat will be part of both the divisions.
A three-member commission headed by Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai, constituted in March 2020, has proposed six more seats in the 90-member House in the Jammu region and an additional seat in Kashmir. Out of the ninety-member assembly, 47 seats will be in Kashmir while 43 seats will be in the Jammu region.(Agency)