Srinagar, Oct 22: The upcoming autumn session of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly is set to be highly contentious, with opposition parties preparing to challenge the NC led government on multiple fronts. Scheduled to commence tomorrow, the session is expected to see heated debates over governance, unfulfilled election promises, statehood, and reservation policies.
Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma stated that the BJP will hold the government accountable for what he called a “betrayal of electoral promises.” He highlighted unfulfilled assurances, including the provision of 200 free electricity units per household and 12 LPG cylinders per family. Sharma also criticized the government for failing to generate employment for the youth, noting that the promised one lakh jobs have yet to materialize.
Smaller regional opposition parties such as the PDP, Peoples Conference (PC), and AIP are expected to raise issues related to statehood restoration, reservation rationalization, and other regional concerns. The Assembly Secretariat has already rejected a resolution by Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone seeking the restoration of statehood, citing that the matter is sub judice.
The session will focus on three key government bills: amendments to the Jammu & Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, the GST Act, 2017, and the introduction of the Jammu & Kashmir Shops and Business Establishment Bill, 2025. Additionally, the Secretariat has received 450 questions, 13 private members’ bills, and 55 private members’ resolutions. Pending bills from the last session, totaling 33, will be prioritized on October 28, designated for private members’ business.
Meanwhile, the Business Advisory Committee of the Assembly will convene today at 3:00 PM in the Speaker’s office to finalize the time allocation for discussions on government bills and other legislative matters.