Delimitation Commission extension of BJP, move to disempower people of Jammu & Kashmir: PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti

Hours after the Delimitation Commission on Jammu and Kashmir submitted its final report on Thursday and recommended increasing the number of Assembly seats, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti termed it an extension of the BJP.

She further said that the move is part of measures to disempower the people of the Union Territory.

While talking to media, Ms Mufti said, "What delimitation? One that has become an extension of BJP? That overlooked the basis of population & acted as per their wish."

"We outrightly reject it. We don't trust it. Its recommendations are a link to abrogation of Article 370 - how to disempower people of J&K," the PDP leader said further.

The commission has recommended 43 Assembly seats for Jammu division and 47 seats to the Kashmir region.

For the first time, nine Assembly Constituencies (ACs) have been reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, out of which, six are in Jammu region and three in Kashmir. The constitution of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state had no provision for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly.

As per the final Delimitation Order, out of the 90 Assembly Constituencies in the region, 43 will be part of Jammu region and 47 for Kashmir region keeping in view the provisions of Section 9(1)(a) of the Delimitation Act, 2002 and Section 60(2)(b) of Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Delimitation order said.

The six new Assembly constituencies in the Jammu region are expected to be carved out from Rajouri, Doda, Udhampur, Kishtwar, Kathua, and Samba districts.

The one new seat for the Kashmir Valley would reportedly be carved out from the Kupwara district.

As of now there are 46 seats in Kashmir region and 37 seats are in Jammu division.

The Commission also said that with regard to the relevant provisions of the Constitution (Article 330 and Article 332) and sub-sections (6) and (7) of Section 14 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the number of seats to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was worked out on the basis of 2011 Census. Accordingly, the Delimitation Commission has reserved nine ACs for STs for the first time and seven for SCs.

The commission had received a one-year extension in 2021 which was extended once again by two months by the Centre on March 6, 2022.

The Commission invited claims and suggestions from all political parties, organizations and individuals from March 14-21 after putting the draft report in the public domain.