news details |
|
|
| Get ready for a bigger role | | | Finally, the Chief Election Commissioner has designated Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra as his nominee for the proposed Delimitation Commission of Jammu and Kashmir. This will pave the way to end the discrimination which Jammu region has been facing for the past 70-years vis-a-vis unequal distribution of the assembly seats.
Before the Parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act in August last year, the effective strength of the J&K Assembly was 87 including four seats falling in Ladakh region, which is now a separate Union Territory without a legislature. The twenty four seats of the assembly continue to remain vacant as they fall in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
After four seats of Ladakh UT being reduced the strength of J&K Assembly has gone down to 83 but the delimitation will lead to addition of seven more seats, which will take the number of the assembly seats in J&K to 90. All these seven seats will be added in Jammu region to bring it at par with the Valley.
During the past seven decades Kashmir centric politicians dominated the political discourse in J&K and didn’t allow any Dogra to become the chief minister. The top office in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir always remained with a leader from Kashmir. The only qualification for anyone to hold J&K CM’s office till 2015 was that he or she should be from Kashmir. Barring Ghulam Nabi Azad, no one from Jammu region, was ever provided a chance to lead from the front.
The delimitation will end the hegemony of Kashmir centric politicians once for all. Now ball is in the court of Jammu based leaders. They need to prepare themselves for the bigger roles so that they are able to dominate the political discourse in the newly carved out Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. They should realize that they can no more act as second fiddles and go out of way to appease the Kashmir centric leaders, who during all these years have not been able to do justice with the people of Jammu region.
Revival of political activities in J&K after a 6-month long break has led to new political fronts emerging in Kashmir and these fronts will try their best to hijack everything. Jammu based leaders need to keep a close eye on what’s happening in Kashmir. They need to formulate their strategy in accordance to the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu region. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
