New Delhi: Ahead of the election results on October 8, political parties in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) are raising concerns about Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s authority to nominate five legislators to the 90-member Assembly. In May 2022, the J&K Delimitation Commission expanded the Assembly by seven seats—six in Jammu and one in Kashmir—bringing the total to 90. This adjustment, made under the Delimitation Act, 2002, and the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, allocates 43 seats to Jammu and 47 to Kashmir, intensifying political scrutiny over the nomination power.
Eight months later, a new order empowered the Lieutenant-Governor to nominate five members to the Legislative Assembly: two women, two Kashmiri Pandits, and one displaced person from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), raising the total seats to 95. These nominated MLAs will possess full legislative powers akin to elected representatives.
Concerns arise regarding the majority threshold, with ambiguity over whether it is 46 or 48 seats. A senior Peoples Democratic Party leader suggested this could manipulate electoral outcomes, potentially favoring the BJP. Mohit Bhan criticized the BJP for gaining representation without contesting, likening it to past electoral manipulations in J&K.
