- The President has given assent to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
- The reorganisation bill provides for the formation of the Union Territory of Ladakh without Legislature and a separate one for Jammu and Kashmir with the Legislature.The two new UTs will come into existence from October 31.
- According to the legislation,the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislature like Puducherry and Ladakh will be a UT like Chandigarh without legislature.
- In both the Union Territories,the key subjects such as law and order will be with the Centre.The UT of Ladakh will have Kargil and Leh districts.
- The UT of Jammu and Kashmir will have a Lieutenant Governor and the maximum strength of its assembly will be of 107 which will be enhanced to 114 after a delimitation exercise.Further,24 seats of the Assembly will continue to remain vacant as they fall under Pakistan-occupied Kashmir(PoK).
- The current effective strength of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is 87 including four seats falling in Ladakh region which will now be a separate UT without a legislature.The Act said Jammu and Kashmir UT will have reservation in the assembly seats.
- The Lieutenant Governor of the successor UT of J-K may nominate two members to the Legislative Assembly to give representation to women, if in his opinion, women are “not adequately” represented in the Legislative Assembly.
- It also said that the Lok Sabha will have five seats from the UT of J-K, while from Ladakh the Lower House of Parliament will have one seat.
