NEW DELHI: The government has extended the tenure of Delimitation Commission, tasked with redrawing the Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, by two more months until May 5, 2022. The panel had written to the law ministry in January seeking two months beyond March 5, 2022 – when its term, last extended by a year in May 2021, was to expire – to enable it to complete the delimitation process in J&K that is already at an advanced stage. The extension request also factored in the end of tenure of Sushil Chandra, member of Delimitation Commission since it was set up, as the chief election commissioner in mid-May.
The delimitation award, if finalised by May, is likely to pave the way for J&K assembly elections to be held later this year. A source said the earliest that polls can be timed would be October as it takes around 3-4 months for rolls to be revised based on the delimitation award.
Sources told TOI that the Delimitation Commission – headed by Justice (Retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai with CEC Chandra and J&K state election commission head as ex-officio members – may meet later this week to discuss the objections and suggestions received from the five J&K MPs, also its associate members, on the draft delimitation proposal. The draft, shared with the associate members earlier this month, had detailed proposed boundaries of the redrawn parliamentary and assembly constituencies in J&K and the seats to be reserved for SC and STs.