Elections round the corner as EC initiates revision of electoral rolls in J&K

New Delhi, Jun 16: The Election Commission (EC) which completed the delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has initiated the revision of electoral rolls in the Union Territories. With this the EC has signalled the commencement of the political process in Jammu and Kashmir.

The EC asked officials to complete the electoral rolls in J&K and said that the draft rolls should be prepared by August 31.

In March the Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir has made its proposals public and invited objections and suggestions till March 21 before visiting the Union Territory later this month for public sittings.

The commission published its final proposal, maintaining the number of Lok Sabha constituencies at five but increasing the assembly seats from present 83 to 90 (adding six in Jammu and one in Kashmir), in the gazettes of India and Jammu and Kashmir.

The detailed proposal, published in leading newspapers on Monday, also carried two dissenting notes signed by four of the five associate members - three National Conference Lok Sabha MPs (Farooq Abdullah, Hasnain Masoodi and Mohammad Akbar Lone) and BJP MP Jugal Kishore.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh is the fifth associate member of the commission.

Set up on May 6, 2020 with a one-year term to redraw Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies, the commission headed by former supreme court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai has given two extensions of one year and two months, respectively, to complete its task, news agency PTI reported.

While splitting Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories through the Reorganization Act in August 2019, the Union Home Ministry had increased Assembly seats of Jammu and Kashmir by seven taking total seats to 114, 24 of which are reserved for Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) while the election will be held for 90 seats.