Rajnath Singh hints at assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir by year-end
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday hinted at holding assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir “by this year-end”.
Addressing a function in Jammu, Singh, who is on a two-day visit to the Union Territory, said the delimitation exercise was completed recently following which the number of seats has increased to 90 with Kashmir having 47 seats and Jammu 43.
“By this year-end, there is a possibility that assembly elections can be held in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
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The defence minister was on a two-day visit to review the security situation in the Union territory.
Last election in 2014
Jammu & Kashmir has been without an elected government since June 2018 when the BJP withdrew from the coalition government with the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The election would be the first since 2014 and the first since the territory’s special status was revoked and its statehood withdrawn in 2019.
Delimitation panel recommendations
The J&K Delimitation Commission submitted its final report on May 5, 2022, two years after it was appointed to redraw the electoral boundaries in Jammu and Kashmir as per the mandate set by the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The final delimitation report came into force from May 20, 2022.
The Commission has recommended the Centre to nominate at least two Kashmiri Pandits to the Legislative Assembly.
It has also proposed nine seats for the Scheduled Tribes (STs). These will include six in Jammu (Budhal, Gulabgarh, Surankote, Rajouri, Mendhar, Thanamandi) and three in the valley (Gurez, Kangan, Kokernag). Seven seats have been reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the Jammu region.
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The Commission has also recommended that the government consider giving displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir representation in the Assembly through nomination.
(With agency inputs)
