Context:

The Lok Sabha Speaker has nominated 15 MPs from Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh as “associate members” of the Delimitation Commission to assist the panel in redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies of the northeastern states and the union territory.

About Delimitation Commission:

• The Delimitation Commission is a commission established by the Government of India under the provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act 2002 to redraw the boundaries of the various assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies based on the recent census.
• Under Article 82 of the Constitution of India, the Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act after every Census.
• Under Article 170, States also get divided into territorial constituencies as per the Delimitation Act after every Census.
• The Central Government constituted the Delimitation Commission which consists of three members as follows:
  • One member, who shall be a person who is or has been a Judge of the Supreme Court, to be appointed by the Central Government who shall be the Chairperson of the Commission
  • The Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner nominated by the Chief Election Commissioner, ex officio:
  • The State Election Commissioner of concerned State, ex officio.
• In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted four times—
  • In 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952
  • In 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962
  • In 1973 under Delimitation Act, 1972
  • In 2002 under Delimitation Act, 2002
• The commission will delimit the constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, and of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland in accordance with the provisions of the Delimitation Act, 2002.

Delimitation in Jammu & Kashmir:

• Delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir will be carried out per the provisions of the J&K Reorganisation Act that split the state into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir with an assembly and Ladakh without an assembly.
• Jammu and Kashmir at present have no Legislative Assembly. It is a Union Territory with a provision of a legislature.
• The delimitation in J&K will be based on the Census of 2011 due to an amendment in the J&K Reorganisation Act.

Associate members:

Members of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies of states, for which the Delimitation Commission is set up, are drawn in as associate members to help the panel in its task.