The Jammu and Kashmir administration has started enroling outsiders who have lived more than one year in the Union Territory (UT) as voters. However, the move is being opposed by most political parties in the UT.
In a latest order issued by District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Avny Lavasa, tehsildars were authorised to issue certificate of residence to those residing in the winter capital for more than one year “to facilitate their entry in the ongoing special summary revision of electoral rolls”.
According to the order, anyone living in Jammu and Kashmir for more than one year could produce water, electricity, gas connection bills, bank passbook, passport, rent or lease deed, sale deed as documents to enrol as voters.
“For categories like homeless Indian citizens who are otherwise eligible to become electors but do not possess any documentary proof of ordinary residence, electoral registration officers shall designate an officer for field verification,” the order read.
Prior to revocation of special provisions of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, only State subjects of Jammu and Kashmir were allowed to register as voters here.
Most Jammu and Kashmir parties have raised their objection to the move.
“ECI’s (Election Commission of India) latest order for registration of new voters makes it clear that GOIs (Government of India) colonial settler project has been initiated in Jammu. They will bear the first blow to Dogra culture, identity, employment and business. BJP’s attempts to create religious and regional divisions between Jammu and Kashmir must be thwarted because whether it’s a Kashmiri or a Dogra, safeguarding our identity & rights will be possible only if we put up a collective fight,” former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, who recently floated the Democratic Azad Party, said that people from outside should not cast their vote in the UT. “Only local voters should be allowed. They can vote in their States in a sealed envelope, as per the system. The importance of voting in J&K has been that only locals vote, be it Jammu or Kashmir,” he said.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader M.Y. Tarigami said this latest order was the beginning of a wider plan to give voting rights to non-locals to reduce the weightage of locals and change electoral demographics. “All parties and civil society groups must reject this arbitrary inclusion of non-locals. BJP’s designs must be defeated,” he said.
A spokesman of the Peoples Conference, headed by Sajad Lone, said, “The directive is highly suspicious. It reinforces the apprehensions in the minds of locals that outsiders are being enabled to register as voters in order to change the demographic profile of J&K. This action is also in blatant violation of Supreme Court judgment where the court held that the ordinary resident in a constituency as mentioned in the Representation of the People Act, 1950 shall mean a habitual resident of that place or a resident as a matter of fact in regular, normal or usual course and that the residence must be permanent in character and for a considerable time with intention to dwell permanently.”
National Conference spokesman Imran Nabi Dar said the government was going ahead with its plan to add 25 lakh non-local voters in Jammu and Kashmir. “We continue to oppose this move. BJP is scared of the elections and knows it will lose badly. People of J&K must defeat these conspiracies at the ballot box,” Mr. Dar said.
Meanwhile, BJP State president Ravinder Raina said the voter enrolment was taking place “as per the Constitution”. “A voter could only get enroled at a new place where he is living for a longer period after deleting his name from the older voter list. NC and PDP are conspiring to mislead people over J&K voter list. Those who have no issue left with them are trying to invent issues,” Mr. Raina said.
