Bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir: India loses one state, gets two more UTs
Srinagar/IBNS: With the official bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, India lost a state but gained two new Union Territories in the form of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh close to three months after the Centre took the historic step of bifurcation along with abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.
From midnight on Thursday, India is having 28 states and nine Union Territories.
The official bifurcation took place on the 144th birth anniversary of India's first Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who is credited for merging 560 princely states into India.
From now on, Jammu and Kashmir will cease to have a separate flag and its own constitution. The two Articles, which have been abrogated, used to provide former state Jammu and Kashmir special status enabling it to have its own law and bar people from outside the valley to buy immovable property.
The two Union Territories will be having its Lt. Governors. Radha Krishna Mathur sworn in as the LT Governor of Ladakh while Girish Chandra Murmu is set to assume the same post in Jammu and Kashmir.
However unlike Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir will have an assembly.
Spearheaded by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the historic decision of abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A by the Narendra Modi government was taken on Aug 5 slightly more than two months after returning to power with a thumping majority.
Key opposition leaders of the valley including former Chief Ministers- Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti- have been kept under detention since Aug 5.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.