Delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir
Delimitation of seats will be necessary for the assembly elections to be held in the new union territory, so soon the delimitation work will be started in the newly created union territories.
Requirement of ‘delimitation’:
- In accordance with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, the ‘Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission’ was constituted by the Central Government on 6 March 2020, to once again determine the delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies of the Union Territory.
- Significantly, under the ‘Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act’, 2019 itself, Kashmir was divided into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
What is ‘delimitation’?
Delimitation is the act of redefining the boundaries of an assembly or Lok Sabha seat to represent population that change over time.
Execution of the ‘Delimitation Process’:
- The delimitation process is accomplished through the Delimitation Commission. This commission is also known as ‘Border Commission’.
- The orders of this commission have ‘law-like’ powers, and they cannot be challenged before any court.
Composition of the Commission:
According to the ‘Delimitation Commission Act’, 2002, the Delimitation Commission appointed by the Central Government consists of 3 members: It is headed by a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court, and includes the Chief Election Commissioner or the Election Commissioner nominated by him, and the State Election Commissioner as its ex-officio members.
Constitutional Provisions:
- Under Article 82 of the Constitution, a ‘Delimitation Act’ law is enacted by the Parliament of India after every census.
- According to Article 170, after each census, the States are also divided into territorial constituencies under the Delimitation Act.
Source – PIB
