Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has nominated 15 MPs from Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur as Associate Members to assist the Delimitation Commission in re-drawing the Lok Sabha as well as assembly constituencies of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states.

Two Union Ministers have also been nominated as Associate Members. Also, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has been nominated as an Associate Member.

The Delimitation Commission was constituted on March 7 under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.

Some of the notable names among the 15 Associate Members nominated by the Lok Sabha Speaker are -- Union Minister of State Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh, and former J&K chief minister Abdullah. Besides, Baramulla MP Mohammad Akbar Lone, Anantnag MP Hasnain Masoodi and Jammu-Poonch parliamentary seat MP Jugal Kishore Sharma have also been nominated by Birla.

Under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the Delimitation Commission will delimit the constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.

Union Minister Rijiju will represent Arunachal Pradesh.

However, the time-limit for delimitation has not been fixed yet. According to sources, the task towards this direction will be completed in a year.

There are a total of 114 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir out of which 24 assembly seats are reserved for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Till now, elections have been held in 90 assembly seats. There is a possibility of increasing seats following delimitation.

First Published:May 29, 2020 8:31 AM IST