J&K parties oppose provision to empower L-G to nominate members to Assembly

Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have opposed the proposed amendment to the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, which would reserve two seats in the Assembly for Kashmiri migrants and one for displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The National Conference (NC) has accused the BJP of trying to use the proposed reservation Bill as a "walking stick" to reap election dividends. The party has also said that the Bill is "blind" to the ground realities.

The NC's chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said that the party has no problem with representation to under-represented communities. However, he said that the party is opposed to the proposal of the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) nominating individuals to the Assembly.

Sadiq said that the L-G is an unelected official and that his nominees would not be accountable to the people. He said that the Bill would give the L-G too much power and would undermine the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also opposed the proposed amendment. The party's chief spokesperson Mehbooba Mufti said that the Bill is "unconstitutional" and that it would "further disempower" the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mufti said that the Bill would give the L-G the power to "pack" the Assembly with his own nominees. She said that this would effectively make the Assembly a "rubber stamp" and would undermine the democratic process in the region.

The proposed amendment is likely to be met with stiff opposition from the political parties in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also likely to be challenged in court.

The amendment is part of the BJP's efforts to consolidate its position in Jammu and Kashmir. The party is hoping that the reservation of seats for Kashmiri migrants and displaced persons from PoK will help it to win the support of these communities.

However, the amendment is likely to be met with resistance from other communities in Jammu and Kashmir. They are likely to argue that the reservation of seats for Kashmiri migrants and displaced persons from PoK would be unfair to them.

The amendment is also likely to be challenged in court. The Supreme Court has already ruled that the L-G does not have the power to nominate members to the Assembly. It is likely that the court will also rule that the reservation of seats for Kashmiri migrants and displaced persons from PoK is unconstitutional.