Reacting sharply on setting up a Commission to initiate delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir, mainstream politicians on Tuesday alleged that it was an attempt to inflict another emotional partition on communal lines and benefit a particular party.
The reaction comes a day after Centre initiated the process of setting up a Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir with the law ministry, seeking nominations for the panel from the Election Commission of India and the new Union Territory.
“When J&K had its own constitution under Article 370, it was possible to selectively initiate delimitation process. But, now that J&K has lost its special status, how will they (centre) justify delimitation of only the Union Territory,” National Conference Additional General Secretary Mustafa Kamal, who according to him remained under house arrest in Srinagar since August 5, said.
“Since centre has been gracious enough to divide us (J&K state) into two parts, it can’t selectively initiate delimitation for J&K and not for the rest of the country. They are looking for selective benefits which will be counterproductive and hurt the nation in the long run. It will make matters worse for the government of India at national and international level,” he said.
“They are inflicting another emotional partition to benefit a selective group of people and not taking other regions into consideration. If it was upto BJP they will drive out all the Muslims from the country. The saffron party has no bars as far as percussion of Muslims is concerned,” he added.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Saifuddin Soz said the best course available with the Union Home Ministry is to wait for a democratically elected J&K Legislative Assembly, where the subject could be discussed to be followed by the decision.
“Otherwise, the system can suffer considerable tension,” he said, adding since there was no democratic forum in existence in J&K, the distribution of seven seats could carry an element of arbitrariness.
“I appeal to the people of Kashmir to organize their argument, democratically and constitutionally,” he appealed.
Upping the ante at MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig and former J&K minister Syed Altaf Bukhari, he said the duo is going to Delhi with their own schedule of work. “I wish both leaders decide to meet Prime Minister and Home Minister and discuss the question of Delimitation with them, on priority,” he added.
Similar views were expressed by other Kashmir-based politicians.
The EC has nominated Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra while other nominations are still awaited for the Delimitation Commission, which is expected to complete the process in at least four months. Assembly elections in J&K, which is currently under President’s rule, could be held after the completion of delimitation, which will be carried out on the bases of 2011 Census figures.
The last time a delimitation exercise took place in J&K was in 1995, when the state was under President’s rule. The delimitation panel was headed by Justice K K Gupta (retd).
As per Section 60 of J&K Reorganisation Act, the number of seats in the legislative assembly shall be increased from 107 to 114. Delimitation of constituencies must be carried out to determine the number of seats to be reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the assembly.
The delimitation panel will also determine the assembly constituencies into which the UT shall be divided, the extent of such constituencies and which of these shall be reserved for SCs/STs. The panel is also tasked with adjustment of boundaries and description of the extent of parliamentary constituencies in each UT.
A presidential notification had earlier corrected an anomaly pertaining to Section 63 of J&K Reorganisation Act, which stated that “until the relevant figures for the first census taken after the year 2026 have been published, it shall not be necessary to readjust the division of successor UT of J&K into assembly and parliamentary constituencies”. The President on October 31 suspended operation of this section.