New Delhi:

The Centre will introduce a bill to amend ‘The Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019’ in Lok Sabha next week, to integrate the Union Territory with its ‘One Nation, One Election’ initiative, a senior government official told NDTV.

“The existing Union Territory Assembly will complete its full term and in case of premature dissolution of the assembly, mid-term election to be held for only the remaining period of 5 years. Centre is introducing a bill to this effect,” a senior government official said.

The official said this will allow the Centre to amend the law to integrate Jammu and Kashmir with the initiative.

As per business scheduled in Lok Sabha on Monday, Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal would introduce ‘The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill-2024’ to make changes in the ‘Government of Union Territories Act, 1963’, the ‘Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act’, 1991 and the ‘Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019’.

“While the amendments in the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 have been proposed for respectively for synchronisation of assembly polls of Puducherry and Delhi with Lok Sabha polls, the amendments in J&K Reorganisation Act- 2019 will align Jamm and Kashmir’s electoral cycle with Lok Sabha polls,” he further explains.

As per amendments proposed in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the term of the Legislative Assembly shall come to an end on the expiry of the full term of Lok Sabha.

The bill states that simultaneous elections would come into effect on an “appointed date” to be notified by the President on the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election.

“As the first sitting of the Lok Sabha elected in 2024 has already taken place, the earliest appointed date for simultaneous elections that can only be notified is the first sitting of the House elected in the 2029 elections. This means that simultaneous polls could be held by 2034 when the full term of that House ends,” an official told NDTV, explaining the bill.

Srinagar:

Chaotic scenes played out in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly this morning over the resolution seeking restoration of its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. BJP MLAs clashed with the marshals after Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather ordered that some of the protesting Opposition MLAs be removed from the House. A poster seeking restoration of Article 370 sparked another melee involving several MLAs, including J&K People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone.

The day also saw some members of the PDP and People’s Conference submit a fresh resolution seeking the restoration of the special status. Mr Lone slammed the National Conference and said its resolution, which they backed yesterday, is “drama”. “We supported the (resolution) yesterday and their spokesperson tweets that we are allies of BJP. Enough of this nonsense.”  

When the House met today, members of the Opposition BJP started protesting against the resolution passed yesterday. As Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma was speaking, Sheikh Khurshid, Langate MLA and brother of Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, jumped into the Well with a banner that demanded the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A and the release of political prisoners.

The BJP members entered the Well and lunged towards the banner. One of them snatched it from Mr Khursheed’s hand and ran back to the Opposition benches as other BJP members joined him in trying to tear it apart. At this point, Mr Lone intervened and tried to stop them, and a huge scuffle broke out. The marshals brought the situation under control, but more flashpoints followed as both sides voiced their views for and against the resolution.

Speaking to the media outside the House, Mr Lone slammed the National Conference for not coming to Mr Khursheed’s aid when he was attacked. “We have fought against Khursheed saab, but as a Kashmiri, when I saw that he was attacked alone, I couldn’t stop myself. Did anyone from National Conference come?”

The Resolution

The resolution passed yesterday expressed “concern” over the “unilateral removal” of the special status and said the Assembly calls upon the Centre to start a dialogue with elected representatives for its restoration. It was passed without any debate as the BJP members protested and the Speaker opted for a voice vote. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the Assembly had done its job by passing the resolution, which was backed by Mehbooba Mufit’s PDP and Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference, among other parties.

The BJP’s Protest

Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma said the BJP rejects the resolution. He later told the media that the Opposition would not let the House function till the resolution was withdrawn. BJP MLAs have also targeted the Speaker, accusing him of acting like a National Conference leader. BJP is also holding street protests against the resolution. In Delhi, senior BJP leader Smriti Irani slammed the National Conference and its ally Congress, alleging the INDIA alliance of starting a new war against the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Backdrop

The resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly yesterday was introduced weeks after the National Conference-Congress alliance won the Assembly polls in the Union Territory. This was the first Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir since it was stripped of its special status and statehood, and bifurcated into two Union Territories in 2019. Restoration of special status was a key promise in the National Conference election manifesto.

A paramilitary person stands guard as the voters queue up to cast their vote for the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in Budgam on September 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI