PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti slams Delimitation Commission, calls it ‘extension of BJP’

Rejecting the Delimitation Commission and its proposed changes, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said that the draft was a follow-up to the abrogation of Article 370.

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Srinagar: After the Delimitation Commission submitted its final draft on Thursday (May 5), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti called it an “extension of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)”. 

Rejecting the Commission and its proposed changes, Mufti said that the draft was a follow-up of the abrogation of Article 370, adding that she does not trust the Commission.

"Delimitation commission has become an extension of BJP; we reject this delimitation report as we don’t trust it. This is nothing but only an attempt to disempower the people of Jammu Kashmir", said Mufti.

Since day one, PDP has opposed the commission saying that it's constituted after the abrogation of Article 370 and said it's a deliberate attempt to disempower the people of the union territory, she said. 

People's Democratic Party is not the only regional party of Kashmir that has criticised the working Delimitation commission but all other regional parties along PAGD (Peoples alliance of Gupkar deceleration) have also rejected the proposal earlier given by the Commission which includes the three elected Member parliaments of the National Conference (NC). 

Pertinently, Delimitation Commission sets 90 Assembly Constituencies in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, 43 will be part of the Jammu region and 47 for the Kashmir region. While 9 Assembly Constituencies have been reserved for STs, out of which, 6 are in Jammu region and 3 in Kashmir.

Commission says one Parliamentary Constituency has been carved out combining Anantnag and Rajouri and Poonch of Jammu region.

The delimitation commission order will come into effect from the date to be notified by the Central Government.