Delimitation panel meets political delegations in Srinagar, PDP, ANC absent

The delegations of the BJP, BSP, CPI, NC, Congress and the PC in Jammu and Kashmir held a meeting with Delimitation Commission in Srinagar. However, PDP and JKANC remained absent from the meeting announcing that they will stay away from the delimitation process.

Srinagar:The Delimitation Commission held a meeting with different delegations of political parties of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday in Srinagar. The Delimitation Commission members held a series of meetings with the delegations of the BJP, BSP, CPI, NC, Congress and the PC. However, the PDP led by Mehbooba Mufti and the JKANC, earlier in the day, announced that they will stay away from the delimitation process.

In a letter to the head of the commission Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, the PDP said it would not participate in the exercise, which the party believed was "pre-planned", and aimed at disempowering the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and realising the "political vision of a particular political party". In its letter to the Commission, the ANC informed that it will not take part in the proceedings as the setting up of the commission has been challenged before the Supreme Court.

Read:|PDP to boycott Delimitation Commission meet

The NC delegation met the commission members and the leaders submitted a memorandum which said that scripting of constitutional rights is not acceptable. After the meeting, senior NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather said, "If the delimitation process is not happening in other parts of the country, then why are they singling out J&K. The Reorganisation Act, 2019 is unconstitutional and it is unacceptable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The case about the same is before the Supreme Court. They should have waited till SC's decision."

Talking to the media after meeting the Delimitation Commission panel, Congress J&K chief GA Mir said, "Delimitation is to be done in 2026 in the country, then why it's being done in 2021 in Jammu and Kashmir. This is a big question. Till J&K's statehood is restored, the delimitation will not be beneficial."

Read:|First statehood, then Assembly polls: NC on Centre's JK timeline

The Delimitation Commission for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was formed on March 6 last year, just six months after the special status of the erstwhile state under Article 370 was amended and the region split into two Union Territories – J&K with a legislative assembly, and Ladakh without one.

Earlier, the delimitation of the constituencies in J&K was scheduled to be held in 2026. However, following the Central government’s changes in J&K after August 5, 2019, the J&K Reorganisation Act increased the number of voting constituencies for J&K from 87 to 90. The commission has nearly nine months left to complete the exercise. The delimitation issue was discussed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with 14 political leaders from Jammu & Kashmir on June 24. The Centre has sought the completion of the delimitation exercise before assembly polls are held in the UT.

Read:|Delimitation panel set up for J&K, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal, Nagaland