New Delhi: Stating that the priority of his government is to strengthen democracy at the grassroots level in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed on speeding up the delimitation so that elections can be held and Jammu and Kashmir gets an elected government that will Give strength to development. trajectory.
Prime Minister Modi, who chaired an all-party meeting in the national capital on Thursday, said this is an important step in the ongoing efforts towards a developed and progressive Jammu and Kashmir, where all-round development has been pursued.
The meeting assumes significance as it was the first time since the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation into two union territories earlier in 2019.
Delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir
The meeting, which took place at the Prime Minister’s official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, fueled speculations about the likely schedule of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, thus necessitating the completion of the delimitation in the Union Territory in the next few months.
Earlier, the number of Legislative Assemblies in Jammu and Kashmir was 83. Before 2019, the strength of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly was 87, which included four seats in Ladakh. However, the state was bifurcated in 2019 into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The delimitation assumes significance because after the abrogation of Article 370 by the central government and special status to Jammu and Kashmir, both the Lok Sabha and the assembly constituencies have to be demarcated under the Constitution.
As per the 2019 Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, the new legislature in the erstwhile state will have 90 assembly seats.
A day after the meeting, the Election Commission held a virtual discussion with its representatives and deputy commissioners about the delimitation of 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.
Final delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir
The last delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir was first conducted in 1995 on the basis of the 1981 census. This development happened because in 1991 there was no census in the erstwhile state.
After the 2001 Census, the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly passed a law and prohibited the delimitation exercise till 26 June.
Until 2019, when the state was bifurcated into two union territories, the delimitation of Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir was governed by the Constitution of India, while the delimitation of assembly seats by the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution and the Jammu and Kashmir Representation of the People Act. , 1957.
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