EC holds informal talk on J&K delimitation exercise

In the wake of reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, the Election Commission (EC) held informal discussions on the latest developments, including the proposed delimitation on Tuesday.

This was the first meeting of the poll panel on Jammu and Kashmir after the decision to split into two Union Territories.

EC sources said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is yet to formally write to the poll panel on the issue of reorganisation of the state and the delimitation exercise as per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act.

Earlier there were indications that assembly elections in the state could be held around October.

But it seems unlikely as the proposed delimitation exercise would take at least three months, a source in the government said.

"First the delimitation has to take place. The elections will follow," the source explained.

According to the Act, which will come into force on October 31, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have an Assembly. The Union Territory of Ladakh will not have an Assembly.

According to section 60 of the Act, "...the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be increased from 107 to 114...."

Delimitation is the process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province with a legislative body.

Senior EC officials are learnt to have briefed the Chief Election Commissioner and fellow Election Commissioners about the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation.

Once the EC gets a formal word from the government, it will call officials from the Union Home Ministry and Jammu and Kashmir for discussions, the sources said.

The Commission was also briefed about the process that was followed for holding delimitation exercise when new states were carved out in the past including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and Bihar and Jharkhand.