Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly seats increase to 114 under new Bill

This Bill amends the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 to increase the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly from 107 to 114 and to allow the Lieutenant Governor to nominate representatives for Kashmiri Migrants and displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Who it concerns: The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, specifically its Legislative Assembly, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and the communities of Kashmiri Migrants and displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

What the bill does

• Increases the total number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from 107 to 114.
• Updates the Second Schedule to the Representation of the People Act, 1950 to reflect the new seat distribution (90 total, 7 for Scheduled Castes, 9 for Scheduled Tribes).
• Inserts new Section 15A allowing the Lieutenant Governor to nominate up to two members from the community of Kashmiri Migrants to the Legislative Assembly, with at least one being a woman.
• Inserts new Section 15B allowing the Lieutenant Governor to nominate one member from displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to the Legislative Assembly.
• Defines 'Migrant' based on the Jammu and Kashmir Migrant Immovable Property Act, 1997, and 'displaced person' based on displacement during 1947-48, 1965, and 1971 conflicts.

Also in the document

• The Bill is a consequential amendment following the completion of the delimitation process in the Union territory.
• The Financial Memorandum states that the Bill would not involve any financial expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India.
• The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 17, 2023, by Shri Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation.