114 seats, migrant quota cleared for J&K Assembly
Two important pieces of legislation regarding Jammu and Kashmir were passed by both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday (December 6).
These are The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, that aims to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, and The Jammu & Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aimed at amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004.
The two legislations are being viewed as an attempt by the Union government to tweak the political landscape to its advantage ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, by wooing the Kashmiri Pandits and Pahadia community of the region.
In his reply to the discussion on the Bill in the Lok Sabha, home minister Amit Shah said, “Earlier there were 37 seats in Jammu which have now become 43, earlier there were 46 seats in Kashmir which have now become 47, and 24 seats have been kept reserved for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir because POK is ours,” Shah said, reiterating a position India has held historically.