The Delimitation Commission, tasked with redefining parliamentary and assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, may hold an internal meeting on Wednesday to finalize its plans soon in consultation with political parties.
In a meeting with leaders of mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had insisted that the delimitation exercise should be done quickly so that elections can be held in the union territory.
The three-member Delimitation Commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai, was appointed in February last year. It could not complete its work within the allotted time of one year and now it has been given an extension of one year.
A plenary meeting of the Commission including its associate members such as the Lok Sabha MPs from Jammu and Kashmir is likely to be held soon. The date of such meeting will be fixed on Wednesday.
Among the state’s mainstream parties, the National Conference, which won all three Lok Sabha seats from the Kashmir Valley, had earlier decided to stay away from the commission’s proceedings, saying there was no need to re-create the constituencies at this time. is. Forum.
However, there are indications that the party is reconsidering and has recently authorized its president Farooq Abdullah to decide whether to participate in the deliberations of the commission.
During the June 24 meeting, the Prime Minister had said that the ongoing delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir should be done expeditiously so that elections can be held to establish an elected government that will power its growth trajectory.
In a series of tweets after a three-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with 14 political leaders of J&K, the Prime Minister said, “Our priority is to strengthen democracy at the grassroots level in J&K. Delimitation should be done at a fast pace so that elections can be held and J&K gets an elected government which will strengthen the development path of J&K.
The delimitation exercise has intensified amid indications that the Center is keen to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir soon.
There is speculation that elections may be held in the next six to nine months.
He said the Delimitation Commission will review the progress made so far, including last week’s consultations with all the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir on the reorganization of existing assembly constituencies and creation of seven new seats earlier this month.
In a meeting with the Deputy Commissioners on June 23, inputs were collected on how to make the assembly seats more geographically compact.
Justice (retd) Ranjana Desai will preside over the meeting of the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday and will be attended by senior officials of the Election Commission. The other members of the commission are the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir.
After the delimitation exercise, the number of assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir will increase from 83 to 90.
Twenty-four seats in the assembly remain vacant as they fall under Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
