news details |
|
|
| Number of voters in Kashmir and Jammu almost equal | | Excessive Representation To Valley | | Neha
JAMMU, Jan 1: The population of Jammu province is equal to Kashmir, if not more. It is a different story that those who conducted census operation in Jammu & Kashmir, according to the BJP and the Panthers Party, "fudged the census figures" to put Kashmir in an advantageous position. The argument advanced by these two parties and others in Jammu used to be that "since the number of voters in Jammu province was more as compared to Kashmir, it was obvious that the population of Jammu was also more as compared to Kashmir". It was only in 2008 that the number of voters in Kashmir suddenly increased and quite substantially. Why did the number increase? Only the concerned authorities could give a satisfactory answer, which probably would never happen considering the nature of leadership at the helm.
Whatever be the true picture of facts, but one thing is very clear that Kashmir has been getting excessive representation in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly as well as Lok Sabha, notwithstanding the fact that the number of voters in these two regions is almost equal. Take, for example, the number of voters in Jammu & Kashmir as revealed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) only the other day. The number of voters in Jammu & Kashmir is 68.62 lakh as per the just-ended summary revision of electoral rolls undertaken by the ECI across the country. The ECI will publish the final rolls on January 15, 2013.
What is the number of voters in Jammu province and Kashmir province, including Leh and Kargil districts of the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, which is administratively part of Kashmir division? The number of voters in Jammu province is 31.68 lakh, as against the earlier figure of 30.98 lakh. As for Kashmir division, including the Kashmir Valley and Leh and Kargil districts, the number of voters in this division is 36.94 lakh, as against its earlier figure of 35.84 lakh. The difference between the two as per the new figures is 4.87 lakh. This number also includes the Ladakhi voters and their number is over two lakh. In 2008, when the last Assembly elections were held in the State, the number of voters in Ladakh was 150,998. The break-up was like this: Nobra constituency 12,093, Leh constituency 61,663, Kargil constituency 56,967 and Zanskar constituency 20,275.
In other words, the difference in the number of voters between Jammu province and Kashmir division, minus Ladakh region, is just 3. 26 lakh. What does this show? This shows that Kashmir returns to the Legislative Assembly seven more members at the rate of one per 46,571 voters. Kashmir elects 46 members to the Assembly and Jammu only 37. To be more precise, these figures only vindicate those in Jammu province who have always accused the authorities of depriving the people of this region of their due share of representation in the Assembly which discusses and decides questions of supreme importance to the well-being and happiness of the people. It would be only prudent if the State Government accept the oft-repeated demand in Jammu seeking appointment of a delimitation commission charged with the responsibility of redrawing the Assembly constituencies de-novo strictly in accordance with the laid down criteria: Population/voters, land area, nature of terrain and accessibility. The Congress, which sharing power with the NC, can play an important role. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
