J&K Delimitation Commission

J&K Delimitation Commission

Part of: Prelims and GS-II -Polity

Context: The J&K Delimitation Commission has changed the complexion of most of the 90 Assembly seats.

• It also reconfigured and renamed 28 new Assembly constituencies and deleted 19 Assembly segments in its interim report. 
• Besides, it has proposed to redraw all the five Lok Sabha seats.

What is Delimitation?

• Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats. 
• Objective of delimitation: 
  • To provide equal representation to equal segments of a population; 
  • Fair division of geographical areas so that one political party doesn’t have an advantage over others in an election.
• Constitutional provisions: Under Article 82, the Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act after every Census. 
• Delimitation is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India.
• Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 
• There was no delimitation after the 1981 and 1991 Censuses.
• Composition of the Commission: According to the Delimitation Commission Act, 2002, the Delimitation Commission will have three members: 
  • A serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court as the chairperson, 
  • Chief Election Commissioner or Election Commissioner nominated by the CEC 
  • State Election Commissioner as ex-officio members.

Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir

• The Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir was constituted by the Centre on 6th March 2021 to redraw Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies of the union territory in accordance with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 and Delimitation Act, 2002, passed by the Centre in August 2019 along with other J&K-specific Bills.

News Source: TH