Published 12:23 IST, August 13th 2019
J&K's Article 370 scrapped, Election Commission meets to discuss delimitation of assembly seats
In a major development, internal meeting is being held at 12 pm at Election Commission of India. Sources said that the process of delimitation of assembly seats of Jammu and Kashmir is being discussed in the meeting
In a major development, internal meeting is being held at 12 pm at Election Commission of India. Sources said that the process of delimitation of assembly seats of Jammu and Kashmir is being discussed in the meeting.Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora along with Umesh Sinha, Sudeep Jain and other deputy election commissioners are also present in the meeting. The initiation of discussion on delimitation is being discussed in the internal meeting while the formal discussion will start after Ministry of Home affairs notification to the ECI.
Keeping in view the security situation , the assembly elections were not conducted simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. However, in his speech to abrogate Article 370, Home Minister Amit Shah and in his address to the nation Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ensured that assembly elections will soon take place in the state. The process of discussion of delimitation talks may be seen as the beginning of the process.
What is Delimitation?
The Gazette states: "Readjustment of the constituencies as provided under section 60 in the successor Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir into Assembly Constituencies , shall be carried by the Delimitation Commission , to be constituted under the Delimitation Act, 2002 as amended by this Act, and shall take effect from such date as the Central Governmenr may, by order, published in the Official Gazette, specify."
Jammu and Kashmir situation normal after abrogation of Article 370:
Home Ministry gave a detailed report of celebration of Eid in the valley thereby suggesting that situtaion is absolutely normal in J&K. It said that prayers were offered peacefully in the various districts. Giving the stats, it also said that approximately 10,000 people were present to offer prayers at Jamia Masjid in Baramulla. The Home Ministry also shared pictures of CRPF jawans and Jammu and Kashmir Police sharing sweets and smiles with the locals on the occasion of Eid.
Here is the long thread of updates by the Home Ministry:
Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen KJS Dhillon's statement:
Republic TV on Thursday spoke exclusively and at length to Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, who gave an on-ground account of the current security situation in the Kashmir valley in the aftermath of its full integration as Indian Parliament passed Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill that scraped Article 370 and bifurcated the state into two union territories - J&K and Ladakh.
Informing about the security situation he said, " In the last 4 days there has not been a single human casualty - be it civilian or security personnel. That is an achievement in itself. Despite lots happening, the control is positive and there is absolute calm in the valley. He then clarified that army is reaching at far flung areas to help each and every citizens: "There is no need to panic. Everyone is being looked after. Having said that - there are certain restrictions for safety and security of people. Security situation is 100 % under control and normal as of now," the Chinar Corps Commander said.
Gov of India abrogates Article 370
The Narendra Modi government on August 5 revoked Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Both the upper house and the lower house of the Parliament approved the resolution abrogating Article 370 for J&K and a bill to bifurcate the state into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, with Home Minister Amit Shah saying the controversial provisions were responsible for poverty and lack of development in the state. Ministry of External Affairs also briefed the envoys of the P5 nations -- the US, the UK, China, France and Russia -- about Indian government's decision to scrap Article 370 and bifurcate the state into two union territories.
Updated 17:40 IST, August 13th 2019