The meeting was chaired by newly-appointed Home Minister Amit Shah and attended by J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik | Photo Credit: ANI

New Delhi: In what could pave way for lawmakers from Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir to have a larger representation in the state Assembly, the Home Ministry Tuesday deliberated upon the proposal to lift the freeze on delimitation in the state. The meeting was chaired by newly-appointed Home Minister Amit Shah and attended by J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik.

The delimitation — if brought to reality by a Delimitation Commission — could alter the electoral map of the state, thus enabling a larger representation from Jammu by virtue of its size.

The state Assembly was created in 1939. The Sheikh Abdullah government in the state brought 43 seats in Kashmir, 30 for Jammu and two for Ladakh region. At present, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has 87 seats of which Jammu has 37, Kashmir has 46 and Ladakh has four.

Home Secretary and IB chief were also present during the meeting. The meeting was also attended by Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik. Lifting the freeze on delimitation could also mean larger representation for SC and ST communities from Jammu region of the state which have reserved seats but are due for rotation.

The delimitation could help change the composition of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly through reservations to communities such as the Sippis, the Bakerwals and the Gujjars who were given ST status in 1991.

"BJP is trying to pit Jammu Vs Kashmir. We have no enmity against Jammu, the real problem is to address the core issues, and most important thing is to win the hearts and minds of people here," said Waheed Ur Rehman Para, Leader, PDP.