SRI NAGAR: As Delimitation Commission started the delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior Apni Party leader said of the seven seats that will be added in the UT, four will be in the Valley and three in Jammu.
Sources said that the Delimitation Commission has written to all 20 Deputy Commissioners of J&K and asked them to share data of electorate and composition of districts and Assembly constituencies.
The exercise is being carried out as per 2011 Census. According to 2011 census, Kashmir's population was 68,88,475 and Jammu's population was 53,78,538. At present J&K Assembly has 83 seats - 47 in Kashmir and 36 in Jammu region.
Senior vice-president of Apni Party Ghulam Hassan Mir said the total number of seats in the Assembly would increase from 83 to 90. Of the seven seats that will increase after delimitation, four will be in Valley and three in Jammu, he said.
A senior J&K BJP leader said there should be a "balanced" process. "It should be ensured that all constituencies get equitable number of voters. At present, in some seats there are a few thousand voters, while in my constituency in Jammu, the voters are over one lakh," he said.
However, chairman of Jammu-based IkkJutt Jammu, Advocate Ankur Sharma said carrying out delimitation on basis of 2011 census will only consolidate "Muslim hegemony" and perpetuate J&K as a Muslim domain apart from rest of India.