Twenty-four seats of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly are vacant as they fall under Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and will not be taken into account for reckoning the total strength of the House, Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday.
According to section 47 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, the Legislative Assembly comprises of 111 members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the state, he said.
The minister said Article 170 of the Constitution of India, which deals with delimitation of constituencies for state legislative assemblies, has not been extended to Jammu and Kashmir.
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“Delimitation of Legislative Assembly Constituencies in the State of Jammu and Kashmir is carried out under sections 47 and 141 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The current strength of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is 87.