Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly

Legislative Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir
(Vidhan Sabha of Jammu & Kashmir)
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Lower House
History
Founded 1957
Leadership
Speaker of the Assembly
Deputy Speaker of the Assembly
TBD
Leader of Assembly(Chief Minister)
Opposition Leader
TBD
Deputy CM
Structure
Seats 87
Political groups
 PDP (28)
BJP (25)
JKN (15)
INC (12)
JKPC (2)
CPI(M) (1)
PDF (1)
Independent (3)
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
 2014

The Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir (also known as the Jammu and Kashmir Vidhan Sabha) is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is known as the Jammu and Kashmir State Legislature. It has 87 members.

History

The first legislature of the kingdom that is now the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir was established by the government of the Maharaja of Kashmir Hari Singh in 1934.[1] However, it was considered un-democratic and un-representative by a majority of the population of the kingdom owing to the restrictions on the participation of political parties such as the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference led by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. After the accession of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir to Union of India in 1947, the Maharaja's role was restricted to that of a Rajpramukh (head of state). With free democratic elections held for the first time in the state's history, the National Conference won a majority of seats in a new constituent assembly and Sheikh Abdullah became the head of government. In 1957, a new constitution was adopted by the constituent assembly, which established a bicameral legislature.[1]

Composition

The Legislative Assembly was initially composed of 100 members, later increased to 111 by the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir (Twentieth Amendment) Act of 1988.[1] Of these, 24 seats are designated for the territorial constituencies of the state that were occupied by Pakistan in 1947.[1][2][3] These seats remain officially vacant as per section 48 of the state constitution.[1][3] These seats are not taken into account for reckoning the total membership of the Assembly, especially for deciding quorum and voting majorities for legislation and government formation.[1][3] Hence, the total contestable and filled seats of the assembly are presently 87.

The Kashmir valley region has 46 seats, the Jammu region has 37 seats and the Ladakh region has 4 seats.[4]

Two women may be nominated as members by the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir if he is of the opinion that women are not adequately represented.[1]

Tenure and functions

Members of the Legislative Assembly are elected for a six-year term. The seats are filled by direct election The assembly be may dissolved before the completion of the six-year term by the Governor upon the advice of the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. The Governor may also convene special sessions of both houses of the state legislature.

Office bearers

The Assembly is convened and administered by the Speaker. The leader of the house is usually the Chief Minister, who is the leader of the party (or coalition of parties) whose members constitute a majority. The leader of the opposition represents the party (or coalition of parties) that has won the second-largest number of seats.

Attack of the State Assembly Complex

On 1 October 2001 armed men belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed carried out an attack on the Jammu and Kashmir State Legislative Assembly complex in Srinagar using a car bomb and three suicide bombers as a symbol of their disapproval for the Indian installed political setup in the state.[5][6]

Political parties

Summary of the November–December 2014 Jammu and Kashmir state assembly election results

 
Party Flag Seats +/–
People's Democratic Party 28 Increase7
Bharatiya Janata Party 25 Increase14
National Conference 15 Decrease13
Indian National Congress 12 Decrease5
Jammu & Kashmir People's Conference 2 Increase2
Communist Party of India (Marxist) 1 0
People's Democratic Front 1
Independents 3 Decrease1
Total (turnout 60.5%) 87
Source: Electoral Commission of India

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly". National Informatics Centre. Retrieved 2m³010-08-29. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ↑ "Delimitation adds seats to PoK quota". Times of India. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir" (pdf). National Informatics Centre.
  4. ↑ http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/now-bjp-hopes-for-44-plus-in-jammu-and-kashmir-536581?pfrom=home-otherstories
  5. ↑ Fidayeen storm J&K House, kill 29, The Tribune, 2001-10-02
  6. ↑ AN AUDACIOUS STRIKE, Frontline (magazine), 2001-10-13