Abdullahs & Mufti claim to be put under house arrest as NC-PDP cadres protest Delimitation

Miffed at the delimitation process, the People's Alliance of Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) staged a protest in Srinagar on Saturday. Ahead of the protest, ex-CMs Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti claimed that they had been put under house arrest by the J&K administration. Both J&K NC and PDP leaders took to the streets and clashed with J&K police while protesting the Centre's move. 

"GOI trumpets scrapping Article 370 & dismembering J&K throughout the country but is deeply paranoid & intolerant when people of J&K want to protest against its disempowerment. For the umpteenth time, we’ve been placed under house arrest for trying to organise a peaceful protest," tweeted Mufti. Meanwhile, Omar Abdullah said, "Trucks parked outside our gates to scuttle the peaceful JK-PAGD sit-in protest. Some things never change".

Moreover, both ex-CMs took to Twitter to show J&K NC and PDP cadres clashing with police officers while protesting the draft proposal of the Delimitation Commission increasing Jammu’s Assembly seats by six and Kashmir’s by only one. "Despite the despotic administration’s attempts to foil our protests, PDP & NC workers managed to hit the streets in Srinagar today to raise their voices against the illegal revocation of Article 370. I salute their courage & resolve," tweeted Mufti.

Similarly, Abdullah tweeted, "Well done to my JK-NC & YNC-JK colleagues for managing to come out & register our protest about all that is being done to disempower the people". The PAGD has rejected the Commission's proposal which envisaged 43 and 47 seats for Jammu and Kashmir each. The alliance has moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the Delimitation process amid the SC hearing on challenging the constitutional validity of the revocation of Article 370.

Delimitation panel gives 43 & 47 seats for J&K

The Delimitation panel has assigned 43 and 47 seats for Jammu and Kashmir each. Barring seats reserved for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the strength of the J&K Assembly will increase from 83 to 90 with Jammu getting 6 new seats while Kashmir, which has traditionally garnered the lion's share of seats, shall bag only one extra seat. On the other hand, 9 and 7 seats are likely to be reserved for ST and SC each. Elections have not been held in the state since the dissolution of the state Assembly on November 21, 2018.