With the winter session of the Parliament beginning on Monday, the Central government is likely to introduce four important bills regarding Jammu and Kashmir, especially the one aiming to allocate 33 per cent of seats in the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly for women.
The proposed bill envisages reserving 29 to 30 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for women, effective from 2029, once the legislation comes into force.
Within this 33 per cent reservation for women, specific provisions will be for SC and ST women. Seven seats are already reserved for SCs and nine for STs in the Assembly following the delimitation process in 2022. With the additional 33 per cent reservation for women, nearly 50 per cent of the seats in the UT Assembly will be earmarked.
The reservation for women might also be extended to the Lok Sabha, potentially reserving one or two of the five Lok Sabha seats for women in Jammu and Kashmir. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to advocate for the bill, promoting reservation for women in Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir Assemblies.
Four other bills concerning Jammu and Kashmir, introduced in the Lok Sabha during the monsoon session in July but not pursued for passage, are likely to be presented for approval during the winter session.
One of these bills, The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, pertains to the nomination of two Kashmiri migrants, including one woman, and a refugee from Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by the Lieutenant Governor.
Another bill, The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, focuses on granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Pahari Ethnic Tribe, Paddari Tribe, Gadda Brahmans, and Kolis.
The third bill, The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 proposes changing the nomenclature of Other Social Castes (OSCs) to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for the provision of reservation. Lastly, the fourth bill aims to include Valmikis in the list of Scheduled Castes.
During the delimitation process of Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Delimitation Commission received numerous representations from Kashmiri migrants and displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. These representations advocated for seat reservations in the Legislative Assembly to safeguard their political rights and identity.