THE NOMINATION GAMES

Four years after the BJP-led government annulled Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, it moved an amendment bill in the Lok Sabha on December 5 to reserve seats for Kashmiri migrants (KMs) and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) refugees.

- Moazum Mohammad

The debate following the introduction of the two bills related to J&K—the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2023, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023— by Union home minister Amit Shah witnessed noisy scenes and a walkout by the Opposition. Yet, the lower house greenlighted the bills on December 6.

Of the two bills, the J&K Reorganisation Bill created all the clangour, for it seeks to nominate members with the same powers as that of elected MLAs. Also, the nominations will be made by the lieutenant governor, who represents the Centre, and can be done without consulting the chief minister or the elected government. It paves the way for the nomination of one ‘migrant’ KM woman and two men to the assembly. The J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, had already given nominated members voting rights on par with elected members in all matters, including no-confidence motions. Section 15 of the Act had allowed nomination of two women to the assembly (see Bigger House) then.