Nasir Azam
Srinagar, May 5: The two-year long delimitation process for Jammu & Kashmir concluded on Thursday with a three-member panel tasked for the exercise unveiling the final electoral map of the Union Territory.
Headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice (retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai, the commission came up with the final delimitation order after holding its meeting. The order came into effect today with its publication in Gazette of India.
As per new electoral map, out of the 90 assembly constituencies of J&K, 43 will be part of Jammu region and 47 for Kashmir.
As per contours of the exercise, nine assembly constituencies have been reserved for STs, out of which six are in Jammu region and three in the Valley. Besides, seven seats have also been reserved for scheduled castes in J&K UT Assembly.
The Commission has also unveiled boundaries of five parliamentary seats of Jammu and Kashmir, one of which has been carved out combining Anantnag region in the Valley and Rajouri & Poonch of Jammu region.
The Commission said most of the representations regarding the change of names of the proposed constituencies were accepted by it in view of the public sentiment involved in the same.
“These name changes included naming Tangmarg-AC as Gulmarg-AC, Zoonimar-AC as Zaidibal-AC, Sonwar-AC as Lal Chowk-AC, Padder-AC as Padder-Nagseni-AC, Kathua North-AC as Jasrota-AC, Kathua South-AC as Kathua-AC, Khour-AC as Chhamb-AC, Mahore-AC as Gulabhgarh-AC, Darhal-AC as Budhal-AC, etc,” the panel said.
It said that some of the representations pertaining to shifting of Tehsils from one assembly constituency to another were found logical and were accepted, viz; shifting of tehsil Shrigufwara from Pahalagam-AC to Bijbehara-AC, shifting of Kwarhama and Kunzar Tehsils to Gulmarg-AC and redrawing Wagoora-Kreeri-AC having Kreeri and Khoie tehsils and part of Wagoora and Tangmarg tehsils, shifting of Darhal Tehsil from Budhal- ACto Thannamandi-AC.
“Additionally, there were some requests for minor changes in the territorial jurisdiction of proposed ACs, which were thoroughly analysed in the Commission and a few of them, which were logical, have been incorporated in the final order,” the panel said.
