Srinagar: The National Conference (NC) on Friday said that it will not participate in the delimitation commission formed by New Delhi for redrawing of assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement, the NC said, “Participating in the delimitation commission will be tantamount to accepting the events of 5th August 2019. The NC is unwilling to do so.”
On August 4, a day before the Government of India (GoI) abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, leaders of mainstream political parties led by NC president Farooq Abdullah signed the “Gupkar declaration” in support of the special status.
“This delimitation commission is a product of the J&K Re-organisation Act 2019 which JKNC is challenging in and outside Hon’ble SC,” the statement added.
On March 6, the GoI constituted the Delimitation Commission to redraw Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.
The NC said it stands by its position that delimiting J&K constituencies be done as per the Constitution of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, which had set 2026 as the year for the exercise.
“According to the Constitution of J&K, the constituencies of J&K were to be delimited in 2026 along with rest of the country. The constituencies in the state were last delimited in ’90s. Thereafter an amendment was made in the Constitution of J&K unanimously passed in the state Assembly in which all the regional parties, Congress and BJP voted for this amendment to go with the delimitation with rest of the country in 2026. Therefore the constitution of the delimitation commission is unwarranted,” the NC said.
The NC’s move has come after all the three MPs of the party were nominated as associate members in the delimitation commission.
All five Lok Sabha MPs from Jammu and Kashmir — three from National Conference and two from BJP — were nominated as “associate members” to assist the panel in redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies in the newly-created union territory.
Former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, MP Hasnain Masoodi and MP Akbar Lone are the three NC MPs who were made members of the panel.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz