J&K Delimitation draft finalised | Explainer in 5 points
The J&K Delimitation Commission on Monday released its draft report. Here are 5 points about theJammu and Kashmir delimitation process.
The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission on Monday released its draft report and sought objections and suggestions from the public and residents of the union territory before March 21, after which it will be considered by the panel in open sittings on March 28 and 29.

5 points about Jammu and Kashmir delimitation:
> What is delimitation
Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of an Assembly or Lok Sabha seat to represent changes in population over time. The exercise is carried out by a commission whose orders have the force of law and cannot be questioned before any court. The objective is to redraw boundaries based on census data so the population of all seats, as far as practicable, be the same throughout the state. Delimitation is a key step in the move to hold elections in the union territory, which could then be followed by restoration of statehood. After Kashmir's special status was scrapped in 2019, delimitation will be as per the provisions of the Indian constitution.
> Who is heading the commission
The delimitation commission was constituted in March 2020 and, last month, it was given two months of extension - till May 6 - to complete the exercise of redrawing Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. The panel was given a 12-month extension last year. Headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, it has chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra and the state election commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir, KK Sharma, as its ex-officio members.
> Seven new constituencies proposed
The proposal, published in the Gazette of India and the Gazette of Jammu and Kashmir, outlines six new constituencies in Jammu and one in the Kashmir Valley. It also proposes the carving out of seven scheduled caste and nine scheduled tribe constituencies in the region.
> What will change if the proposal is cleared
If the proposal is cleared, the total number of Assembly constituencies will rise from 83 to 90, with 43 in the Jammu region and 47 in Kashmir; 24 seats will be kept aside (and vacant) for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Currently Jammu has 37 members and Kashmir has 46.
The number of Lok Sabha seats have been kept five and no seat has been reserved for scheduled castes or tribes.
> Parties opposing the draft
The Farooq and Omar Abdullah-led National Conference earlier distanced itself from the proceedings but decided to rejoin late last year. Party MPs have opposed the proposal in its current state. The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress has strongly objected to the final draft of delimitation, stating 'it is dissection not delimitation, totally ignoring ground realities'.
