Delimitation Commission in J&K likely to meet ahead of decision on polls

The Delimitation Commission that is tasked with redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir is likely to hold an internal meeting on Wednesday. The delimitation commission will finalise its plans on consultations with political parties soon. The meeting is set to take place after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the all-party meeting with leaders of mainstream political parties in J&K last week. PM Modi has stressed the need to complete the delimitation exercise in order to ensure that polls can be held in the union territory.

Delimitation Commission to hold meet on Wednesday

The three-member delimitation commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai was appointed in February 2020. However, the commission could not complete its work within the allotted time of one year and has therefore been given an extension of one year. In addition, a full meeting of the commission that also includes associate members like Lok Sabha MPs from Jammu & Kashmir is likely to take place soon. The date for such a meeting will be decided on Wednesday. Earlier, Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference, which has won all the three Lok Sabha seats from the Kashmir Valley had decided to opt-out from the proceedings stating that there was no need to redraw the constituencies at this stage. 

Even so, there are indications that the party is reconsidering and has authorised Abdullah to decide whether to participate in the deliberations of the commission. PM Modi had said that the ongoing delimitation exercise in J&K needs to happen quickly so that polls can be held in the Union Territory that will further strengthen its development trajectory. 

"Our priority is to strengthen grassroots democracy in JK. Delimitation has to happen at a quick pace so that polls can happen and JK gets an elected Government that gives strength to JK's development trajectory." PM Modi has said in his tweets

The delimitation exercise has gained urgency and there are indications that the Centre is keen to hold early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. It is expected that polls may take place in the next six to nine months. The commission will review the progress made so far, including the consultations held by it last week with all deputy commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir on the restructuring of the existing assembly constituencies and carving out seven new seats early this month.

On June 23, inputs were gathered on how to make the assembly seats more geographically compact. Apart from Justice (retd), Ranjana Desai, the Wednesday meeting will be attended by senior functionaries of the poll panel. The other members of the commission are the Chief Election Commissioner and Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Electoral Officer. The number of seats in Jammu & Kashmir will go up from 83 to 90. Twenty-four seats of the Assembly continue to remain vacant as they fall under Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)

All-party meeting

Earlier last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a crucial all-party meeting. The meeting came as a first interaction between the leaders of Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in 2019. The meeting was attended by leaders of NC, PDP, Congress, Apni Party and CPM. The all-party meeting was called by the Prime Minister to discuss political activities in the Union Territory. However, the BJP has affirmed that the abrogation of Article 370 will not be rolled back. Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh also remarked that the meeting was held in a cordial environment and that all leaders expressed allegiance to the Constitution of India. 

The MoS also revealed that PM Modi took suggestions and listened to all stakeholders seriously. Moreover, the Prime Minister also pushed for ensuring that democracy reaches the grassroots in J&K. Apart from this, PM Modi urged all leaders to come together to ensure that development is carried out in the Union Territory and that progress reaches every community and district of Jammu and Kashmir. 

With PTI Inputs