Srinagar, April 15 (KINS): Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said she hopes the upcoming delimitation exercise across the country will be carried out in a fair and logical manner, unlike what she described as the previous exercise in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters in Kupwara, the former Chief Minister said delimitation is inevitable and will proceed as scheduled. “It will happen in 2026–27. With a strong majority, the government will go ahead with it,” she said, referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mufti criticised the earlier delimitation exercise conducted in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging it resulted in an uneven distribution of constituencies. She expressed concern that areas with fewer voters were given more representation in certain regions and said she hopes such issues are not repeated in the upcoming process.
On the proposed changes to the Women’s Reservation law, she said her party supports greater representation of women in legislatures. “Women should get their due share in Parliament and assemblies,” she said.
Mufti also called for increased participation of young people in local governance, encouraging them to contest panchayat and urban local body elections. “Youth are the future and should come forward in large numbers,” she added.
The Centre is expected to introduce amendments related to the Women’s Reservation Act during a special sitting of Parliament scheduled from April 16 to 18. The move aims to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies ahead of the 2029 general elections.
As part of the process, a fresh delimitation exercise based on the latest census is likely to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from the current 543 to around 850, along with a corresponding rise in seats in state and Union Territory assemblies. (KINS)
