New Delhi, Apr 15 — The GOI is set to introduce a Bill in Parliament on April 16 proposing delimitation of Assembly constituencies in parts of Jammu and Kashmir currently under Pakistan’s control, with provisions to reserve seats for the region, officials said.
The draft legislation states that the Election Commission can facilitate delimitation in the territory “under the occupation of the neighbouring country,” in line with the GOI’s position that the region remains an integral part of India.
“Delimitation to be done in the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir falling under the occupation of Pakistan, whenever the area ceases to be so occupied,” the Bill reads.
Officials said the provision effectively enables the redrawing of constituencies in Pakistan-controlled areas once they are no longer under such control, allowing for their representation in the J&K Assembly framework.
The proposed move also includes reservation of seats linked to these areas, signalling the government’s intent to structurally accommodate representation from the region within the assembly setup.
What delimitation means:
Delimitation refers to the process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral constituencies to reflect changes in population and ensure balanced representation. It is typically carried out by an independent commission and determines how many seats each region gets and how constituency borders are defined.