Srinagar/New Delhi: Lashing out at the Delimitation Commission over its draft recommendations, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday accused the panel of fulfilling the BJP’s agenda of “disempowering” people of Kashmir, and said his National Conference (NC) will fight the move through democratic means.
The commission’s proposal to increase the number of assembly seats in Jammu division by six and in Kashmir division by just one ignored the “overwhelming criteria” of population, the NC vice-president said.
“By increasing the seats in this proportion, you are actually disenfranchising people in Kashmir because the ratio of seat-to-population changes drastically,” Abdullah told PTI in his first detailed reaction to the commission’s draft recommendations.
The draft recommendations were presented in a meeting of the commission in New Delhi two days ago, attended by three MPs of the NC and two of the BJP. The commission has sought comments of the MPs who are its associate members by December 31.
The NC, PDP and other political parties largely based in the Kashmir region have vociferously opposed the draft proposals which will increase the number of assembly seats in Jammu division from 37 to 43 and Kashmir from 46 to 47.