The Delimitation Commission is expected to reserve around 18 Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir out of 90, for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in constituencies which have maximum population of both the two communities.
Official sources said that this will be for the first time when STs will get a reservation. Earlier, the Assembly of J&K had reserved seven seats for SC. Sources said that 11 seats could be reserved for Scheduled Tribes and seven for Scheduled Castes. The remaining 72 constituencies will be open.
Sources said that Delimitation Commission will take a decision on the seats after taking many norms into consideration including population of both the communities. Assembly seats which are populated with Tribes mostly fall in Kashmir division besides Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu region.
The posts of Chairpersons of the District Development Councils (DDCs), STs had reservation over Rajouri and Poonch districts and DDC Poonch was reserved for ST Women. In the last assembly elections, seven seats were reserved for Scheduled Castes. These seats were Chhamb, Domana, RS Pura, Samba, Hiranagar, Chenani and Ramban.
The Union Home Ministry while splitting Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories through the Reorganization Act, had increased Assembly seats of Jammu and Kashmir by seven seats. This has increased the total number of seats from 114 to 124. Out of these total seats, 34 seats are reserved for Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) while election will be contested for 90 seats.
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir had 111 seats while 24 are reserved for PoK and elections were contested for 87 seats. As Ladakh got separated as Union Territory, four seats of the region were reduced and the Assembly had 83 seats left. With the increase of seven seats in J&K UT, Assembly will now have 90 seats. Two Women MLAs will also be nominated to the House like earlier.
Earlier, Kashmir had 46, Jammu 37 and Ladakh four seats in the Assembly. Sources said that elections to the Legislative Assembly will be conducted once the delimitation of Assembly constituencies is over.
