What Does J&K Delimination Commission Report 2022 Mean For India?

The Delimitation Commission, consisting of three members, headed by (retd.) Ranjana Desai finally released the report for Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday, May 5. The Union Territory saw an increase of 7 seats in total, from 83 to 90, with Jammu being increased to 43 seats and Kashmir 47 seats.

The Commission has reserved nine Scheduled Tribes Assembly Constituency (AC) seats for the first time in the UT's history and seven Scheduled Castes AC seats have been assigned. Moreover, all the Parliamentary constituency seats have become equally divided for the first time with 18 each.

The panel has recommended two changes to the J&K Assembly, with the provision of having two Kashmiri Migrants, one of them being female, and one displaced person belonging to the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The 24 seats in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir still remain vacant and unchanged, reported The Times Of India.

Response To The Report

The most dreaded hypothesis of J&K political parties has become reality, with the Hindu-dominated Jammu being expanded by six seats, and Kashmir only one. This comes in contrary to the fact that the population of Kashmir is approximately 68 lakhs whereas Jammu has only had 53 lakhs in population according to the 2011 census as reported by The Wire. The National Conference chief, Tanvir Sadiq has criticised the panel's report by saying,"It will disempower the people of Kashmir."

In response, the Delimitation Commission, although instructed to follow the 2011 census according to Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, claimed that the report would have to consider the political aspirations, topography, accessibility, and proximity to the national borders. Its main aim was to give suitable representation to the people of the UT so that fair elections could be conducted where there has been President's Rule since 2018.

"An Extension Of BJP"

Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister of J&K, has called this act, "an extension of the BJP" and she has further remarked that this move has been tangential with the removal of Article 370. Now non-state people living in J&K have been given the right to vote in Assembly elections who weren't allowed before.

A question arises from this panel's formation and decision, why the Centre was in a hurry to create and pass the Delimitation Commission and its report when the pan-India 2021 census was postponed to 2022 and the government has given clear directives that no state was allowed to modify its boundaries till June 2022 as reported by The News Minute.

Various political analysts have indicated that these changes might lead to BJP winning the state in Assembly Elections if it dominates the Jammu regional fully as the Kashmir Valley would get divided between National Conference, Congress, People's Democratic Party, People's Conference, and the Left.

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