Headcount exercise to form basis for next electoral delimitation, reveal population of reserved categories in UT
Srinagar, Jan 10 : Jammu & Kashmir has geared up for Census 2027, with the Union Territory-level Census Coordination Committee expected to soon decide on a 30-day window for houselisting operations (HLO) between April 1, 2026, and September 30, 2026.
Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Amit Sharma, Director of Census Operations and Director of Citizen Registration for the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, said that Jammu & Kashmir is expected to decide shortly on the timeline for conducting houselisting operations.
“The census coordination committee will decide on a 30-day window between April 1 and September 30, 2026,” he said, adding that houselisting operations will be undertaken between June 1 and June 30 in Ladakh.
The UT level coordination committee for census is headed by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo. It is expected to decide on a 30-day window for HLO in its next meeting.
Sharma explained that houselisting operations constitute Phase 1 of the census exercise.
He further said that Phase 2-the population enumeration exercise-will be undertaken in September 2026 in snow-bound areas of Jammu & Kashmir and in February 2027 in the plains of the Union Territory.
“The population enumeration exercise will be undertaken in September 2026 across Ladakh, keeping in view its classification as a snow-bound region,” he added.
The census holds significance for Jammu & Kashmir for two reasons: it will reveal the exact population of reserved categories, and it will serve as the basis for the next delimitation of Assembly and Lok Sabha segments.
For the first time, the Papadis, Paddaris, Gadda Brahman, and Koli tribes-added to the Scheduled Tribe list of Jammu & Kashmir in 2024-will be enumerated as separate tribes.
The census will also provide data on Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in J&K for the first time.
According to details available with KNO, 20 castes/communities are included in the Central list of OBCs for J&K, while 41 are listed in the State (UT) list. In J&K, OBCs are entitled to 8 percent reservation in government jobs.
More importantly, the census will form the basis of the next delimitation of electoral constituencies in the Union Territory, as laid down in the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
The law stipulates that there cannot be any readjustment of Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in the UT until the figures of the first census conducted after 2026 are released.
The last delimitation exercise in Jammu & Kashmir was completed on May 5, 2022—(KNO)
