Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar said on Wednesday that the Union Territory could get 25 lakh more voters, PTI reported. That included those originally from outside Jammu and Kashmir, such as migrant workers and security forces, but living in the region.
Kumar said this was due to the revision of electoral rolls, undertaken for the first time after Jammu and Kashmir lost formal autonomy under Article 370.
The Centre scrapped statehood and special status under Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. The former state was split into two Union Territories. The Centre also repealed Article 35A, which ensured special rights and privileges to people defined as “permanent residents” of Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, the region has been under central rule.
“After the abrogation of Article 370, many people who were not enlisted as voters in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir are now eligible to vote,” Kumar said on Wednesday. “In addition, anyone who is living ordinarily can also avail the opportunity to get enlisted as a voter in accordance with the provisions of Representation of the Peoples Act.”
The chief electoral officer said that a domicile certificate was not necessary for enlisting as a voter in Jammu and Kashmir. After the legislative changes of August 2019, the Centre had replaced the term “permanent residents” with “domiciles”, a broader bureaucratic category that included anyone who had lived in Jammu and Kashmir for a certain number of years. Ordinary residents is an even broader category of individuals.
“An employee, a student, a labourer or anyone from outside who is living ordinarily in Jammu and Kashmir, can enlist his or her name in the voting list,” Kumar said, according to PTI. “The documents will be scrutinised by government officials concerned who will take a decision after being satisfied about the claim.”
He also said that armed forces personnel from other states who are posted at peace stations in Jammu and Kashmir can get their names added to the voter list. The final voter list will be published by November 25, he said.
About a question regarding the timing of the next Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the poll officer said that the Election Commission was the authority to take a call on that.
Political parties criticise move
Kumar’s announcement about the electoral roll invited sharp criticism from political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir.
Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said that she has asked National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah to convene a meeting of all political parties of Jammu and Kashmir to decide the future course of action, PTI reported.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Mufti had alleged that revision of the electoral roll was part of a tactic to influence election results by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“Government of India’s decision to defer polls in Jammu and Kashmir preceded by egregious gerrymandering tilting the balance in BJPs favour and now allowing non-locals to vote is obviously to influence election results,” she wrote in a tweet. “Real aim is to continue ruling J&K with an iron fist to disempower locals.”
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah alleged that the move was being done by the Bhartiya Janata Party to gain votes.
“Is the BJP so insecure about support from genuine voters of Jammu and Kashmir that it needs to import temporary voters to win seats?” Abdullah questioned. “None of these things will help the BJP when the people of Jammu and Kashmir are given a chance to exercise their franchise.”
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