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| 25 pc increase in assembly seats - what to do and what not to do- coalition’s dilemma | | Seat increase issue brings arch rivals PDP, NC closer | |
Sanjay Khajuria
Jammu May 20
ALL-PARTY MEETING aimed to generate a consensus prior to implementation of the decision to increase the strength of the Assembly by 25 percent, over the existing 111 sets - 87 elected in state (rest 24 reserved for PoK) but the coalition and the opposition seemed more divided house than ever and stirring the hornet’s nest left state to debate of ‘whether increase seats or not..’
The difference of the opinion between the coalition government and the main opposition the National Conference was obvious but the allies like Congress, People's Democratic Party and People’s Democratic Front and JKNPP shocked the people. PDP though being a partner in alliance accompanied with National Conference and other Valley based parties opposed the Congress, the Panthers Party and the BJP giving a clear indication of the divide like the Pir Panjal cutting Jammu and Kashmir into two halves. `
The decision of the state cabinet to create new Assembly segments proportionately in all the four regions of the State over their existing representation of 46 in Kashmir, 37 in Jammu, four in Ladakh and 24 in PoK and the new hypothesis as proposed will continue the Kashmir based politics over the state titling the balance.
‘When implemented the present proposal will in add up 12 more seats in Kashmir, nine in Jammu , one in Ladakh and six in PoK giving edge to Kashmir over the two regions once again, said, Rajinder Singh a Jammuite and strong proponent of statehood for Jammu.
Condemning the recent political development, president People’s Revolutionary Movement Rajinder Singh Jammu in a press conference stated such move is unconstitutional, unjustified and is against the mandate of people and in no way in consonance with the very concept of Representation of People's Act. The new proposal is also an indication of the consolidation of already Kashmiri dominated and monopolized political set¬up of J&K, he said.
While state president BJP Ashok Khajuria too had warned sternly to the state government in this regard on the May 18, saying BJP will oppose this decision by tooth and nail and would even go to the court of law in case this unconstitutional decision is imposed. Referring to the political discrimination with the Jammu region, he underlined BJP wants the Government to apply 'uniform criteria’ while increasing the number of seats and delimiting afresh the assembly segments.
JKNPP stalwart Harsh Dev Singh on May 8 prior to the APM-2007, has reasoned the equal increase of seats to end the discrimination with Jammu region by reasoning the case under Assembly Constituencies Sub Sec. (2-a) of Sec 4 provided for due regard to certain factors which included population, geographical area, nature of terrain, facilities of communication and like considerations. ‘New proposal of increase in 25% of seats in assembly as in present shape will further widen the gap between the two regions of state, he said and added, “ the dominance of Kashmir politics on the state scene was primarily the outcome of their dominant share in the Assembly seats thus only way to ensure justice to Jammu was to accord it equal number of seats.’
It needs to mention here that under the constitution of the Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir in 1966, this state got six parliamentary seats and the six notified parliamentary constituencies in the state are Jammu-Poonch, Udhampur-Doda, Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla and Leh-Ladakh.
As per the census 2001 though the number of voters in the two constituencies in the Jammu province -- Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda -- has increased many folds over the years yet no new constituency has been created after 1966.
The issue of increasing the number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by 25 per cent has really stirred a hornet's nest, dividing the State along regional lines and political affiliations and the committee set up after the May 12 all party meeting in Srinagar is unlikely to arrive at a consensus on it.
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