Delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir comes to an end

The Delimitation Commission has signed its final order on the restructuring of assembly seats in the union territory.

Srinagar: Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir has signed its final order on the restructuring of assembly seats in the union territory. The panel had the task to redraw the boundaries of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Today (March 5), they submitted the final draft. This means, the much-awaited assembly polls in the Valley, can soon take place.

For J&K, a three-member delimitation commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai was set up in March 2020 for a year. Later, the panel got a one-year extension from the Central government on March 3, 2021, and later another extension of two months in February this year. The commission also comprises chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra and deputy election commissioner Chander Bhushan Kumar, state election commissioner (SEC) KK Sharma and chief electoral officer Hridesh Kumar as its ex-officio members. 

Delimitation is a process of demarcation of the boundaries of parliamentary or assembly constituencies (based on the latest Census data) in a way that the population of all seats is equally covered and gets a proper representation. The Delimitation exercise is carried out after every census. Since it’s a politically sensitive process, it is not carried out by the Centre or state government. Instead, a high-powered body known as the Delimitation Commission is constituted by the Parliament by enacting the Delimitation Act under Article 82 of the Constitution.