In a historic move, Home Minister Amit Shah today announced a resolution assented by the President of the country, clearing the path for the abolition of Article 370 of the Indian constitution that granted Jammu and Kashmir a special status. Alongside, a bill to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir with legislature and Ladakh region as another Union Territory without legislature.
As per reports, on the passage of the bill, delimitation exercise will also soon be initiated in the state to demarcate Ladakh region from the original Jammu and Kashmir state. The exercise will be managed by the Election Commission of India and seats in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly will be increased to 114 from 107.
Provisions under Article 239A that are applicable to Puducherry will also be applicable to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
— Manu Pubby (@manupubby) August 5, 2019
The Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory will follow the UT model adopted by Puducherry which also has its own legislature. Provisions of Article 239A that are applicable to Puducherry will be applicable to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir as well.
The Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of India, officially known as The Constitution (Fourteenth Amendment) Act, 1962, incorporated Puducherry as the ninth Union territory of India. The Clause 4 of the Bill sought to insert a new Article 239A in the Constitution, which would empower Parliament to create by law, Legislatures and Councils of Ministers for Union territories of Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Goa, Daman and Diu and Puducherry. Jammu and Kashmir will now join this list of Union Territories.
The bill garnered overwhelming support from disparate political parties in the upper house of the parliament. Various political parties such as YSRCP, Shiv Sena, AAP, BSP, BJD and other regional parties have extended their support to the government on the Jammu and Kashmir bifurcation bill.
