Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections: What is delimitation that paved the road for these Elections?

Jammu and Kashmir elections to be held for the first time since the Government of India bifurcated the state into union territories in 2019. This process was especially affected by delimitation, a process of adjusting the boundaries of electoral districts in accordance with the changes in population.

Following the abrogation of Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two union territories: There are two regions in the state and they include; Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The delimitation exercise which was provided under the Delimitation Act 2002 and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 was to redraw the constituencies to provide proportional representation. The Delimitation Commission was constituted in March 2020 in a three-member committee under Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.

The final report of the commission was submitted on 5 May 2022, and the total number of assembly seats was raised from 87 to 90, with the Kashmir division receiving 47 and Jammu 43. Also, 24 seats were for the Pakistan administered Kashmir region. The commission made its recommendations in response to the 2011 census and the cultural and geographical differences of the region.

The new assembly constituencies also prompted changes in names and boundaries, with notable reassignments like Tangmarg to Gulmarg. The last delimitation order was issued in May 5 2022 to enable the assembly polls which are to be held by this year as directed by the Supreme Court. These elections will be historic for Jammu and Kashmir, as it will be the first time people of the union territory will be exercising their franchise after six years of direct central rule. The political situation remains rather active, and different parties get ready for an intense electoral struggle.