Rajya Sabha passes J&K Reorganisation Bill, 2019

The Rajya Sabha on August 5 passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, which provides for formation of the Union Territory of Ladakh without legislature and a separate one for J&K with the legislature.

Put to vote after a debate, the bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 125 to 61 votes.

Springing a surprise, parties including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) backed the bill to bifurcate the state of J&K. Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP also expressed their support to the Bill.

However, BJP ally and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) component, Janata Dal (United), said the party does not support the Bill, and had staged a walkout.

Earlier in the day, Home Minister Amit Shah had said the union territory in Ladakh will have no legislature, much like Chandigarh. The other union territory of J&K will have a legislature like Delhi and Puducherry.

Earlier, the government had introduced the Bill in the Rajya Sabha amid Opposition uproar. It had also moved a resolution revoking Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

Shah had introduced the bill as well as moved the resolution in the House.

Leader of the Opposition, Ghulam Nabi Azad had demanded discussion on the prevailing situation in the state. Azad said curfew has been imposed and prominent leaders put under house arrest. Shah had said that the government is ready to discuss every issue related to J&K.