NEW DELHI: Union Minister for State Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has intimated that there were no significant protests against the report of the Delimitation Commission.
In a response to the question of CPI(M) MP John Brittas, MoS Home in a written reply said that “The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has intimated that there were no significant protests against the report of the Delimitation Commission. However, various political parties have expressed different views on the report.”
MoS Home Nityanand Rai further informed the Upper House that the Delimitation Commission conducted a delimitation exercise of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir based on the census data of the year 2011 and the criteria prescribed under section 9(1)(a) of the Delimitation Act, 2002 read with Section 60(2)(b) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
“The Commission has also considered the representations for geographical areas having inadequate communication and lack of public conveniences due to their excessive
remoteness or inhospitable conditions on the international border” he added.
MoS Home Rai further said that as against a previous number of 37 and 46 Assembly seats for the Jammu region and Kashmir region respectively, the Delimitation Commission has notified 43 seats for the Jammu region and 47 seats for the Kashmir region.
The orders of the Delimitation Commission, a panel set up to redraw the assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, will come into effect from May 20.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Central Government appoints May 20, 2022, as the date on which the orders of the Delimitation Commission shall take effect,” a gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice reads.
The commission issued its final order on May 5. As per the final Delimitation Order, out of the 90 Assembly Constituencies (ACs) in Jammu and Kashmir, 43 will be part of the Jammu region and 47 for the 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 Reorganization Act, 2019.
Out of the seven new seats, six were allotted to Jammu and one to Kashmir.
The Delimitation Commission was constituted by the Central Government in the exercise of powers conferred by Section 3 of the Delimitation Act, 2002 (33 of 2002), for the purpose of delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Commission associated in its work, five members of Lok Sabha elected from the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. These Associate Members were nominated by the Hon’ble Speaker of Lok Sabha.
