Jammu: Ahead of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, a group representing scheduled tribes on Tuesday sought a clarification from the Centre on the nine seats reserved for them in the Union Territory, given the inclusion of four more groups in the list earlier this year.
‘Reservation based on the 2022 Delimitation Commission report’
The Jammu and Kashmir Gujjar-Bakerwal Organisation Coordination Committee (AJKGBOCC) said the nine-seat reservation is earmarked for a dozen communities declared as STs in 1989 and 1991 based on the 2022 delimitation commission report and ST population as per 2011 census.
Four communities added to list of scheduled tribes in Jammu and Kashmir
In February, the Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Amendment Bill, 2024, adding four communities (Gadda Brahmin, Koli, Paddari Tribe and Pahari Ethnic Group) to the list of scheduled tribes in Jammu and Kashmir.
Subsequently, the Jammu and Kashmir government approved 10 per cent reservation for Paharis and three other tribes, taking the total reservation under the ST category to 20 per cent in line with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s assurance that there will be no change in the reservation policy for groups earlier declared as STs after the addition of four new communities to the list.
AJKGBOCC president Mohd Anwar Chowdhary said confusion prevails within ST communities after the Election Commission announced elections in three phases, starting from September 18, with certain leaders of newly-inducted ST communities expressing their desire to fight the elections from ST reserved seats.
“We want the government to come out with a clarification at the earliest… We strongly believe that only ST groups classified as ST-I are eligible to contest the reserved ST seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections,” he said.
He said the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 was passed by Parliament in August 2019, bifurcating the state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and extending national laws to the region.
Under the Act, a delimitation commission, which was constituted in March 2020, submitted its report which came into effect on May 20, 2022, reserving nine seats for STs and seven for scheduled castes among the total 90 seats.
Chowdhary said the sub-classification was implemented by the Jammu and Kashmir governments and the newly admitted groups were classified as ST-II with an additional 10 per cent reservation.
The ST-I group comprises 12 tribes declared ST in 1989 and 1991, while the ST-II group comprises recently incorporated groups.
“As per the aforesaid provision, persons classified under ST-II are not eligible to apply for reserved Assembly seats allotted to ST-I, and vice-versa,” he said, adding that it is crucial to clarify that the constituencies reserved for STs were based on the population of the ST-I group of 12 tribes declared as STs in 1989 and 1991.
He said the nine constituencies that were reserved for the ST-I should therefore remain exclusively for the ST-I groups to ensure their legitimate representation.
Chowdhary said that although the top Indian People’s Party (BJP) The leadership and the Lt Governor have time and again assured the community that their reservations will not be diluted, particularly the rights of the Gujjar-Bakarwals, and that the government must keep its word, otherwise the trust of the people, particularly the STs and SCs, will be shattered.
He said they have already sent the representation to the Election Commission, the central government and the JK administration led by the lieutenant governor, seeking immediate clarification.
(with PTI inputs)
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.