Jammu and Kashmir are likely to get about 25 lakh new voters, an election commission official said
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Jammu and Kashmir are likely to gain about 25 lakh additional voters, including outsiders, following the special summary voter rollover review to be held for the first time after the repeal of Article 370, an election official said Wednesday.
The announcement by Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar sparked an angry response from former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti who attacked the Center, saying it will not help the BJP if the people of J&K get a chance to vote.
Kumar described the ongoing exercise to complete the special summary review of the electoral rolls by November 25 as a “challenging task”.
The massive exercise is underway to ensure that all eligible voters, including those who will reach the age of 18 on Oct. 1, 2022 or earlier, are enrolled to provide a “flawless” final list, the lead voter told reporters. .
According to the rearranged timeline recently issued by the Election Commission, an integrated draft electoral roll will be published on September 15, while the period for filing claims and objections was set between September 15 and October 25 and its removal by November 10.
Checking health parameters and obtaining commission approval for final publication and database updating and supplement printing was set for Nov. 19 before the publication of the final voter rolls on Nov. 25.
“The special summary review of the electoral rolls will take place for the first time after January 1, 2019 and therefore we expect huge changes in the electoral roll, given that a large number of young people have reached the age of 18 or 18 and are older than the last three years.”
“After the repeal of Article 370, many people who were not registered as voters in the former state of J&K are now eligible to vote and, in addition, anyone normally living can also take advantage of the opportunity to be registered as voters in J&K in accordance with the provisions of Representation of the Peoples Act,” said Mr Kumar.
He said J&K’s expected 18-plus population is about 98 lakhs while the number of recruited voters is 76 lakh according to the latest electoral roll.
“We expect an addition of 20 to 25 lakh new voters to the final list,” Kumar said, adding that officials have been sensitized to ensure the final list is “flawless”.
Mr Kumar said it is not necessary for a person to have a residence certificate from J&K to become a voter.
“An employee, student, worker or outsider who usually resides in J&K can put his or her name on the voting list. The documents will be examined by relevant government officials who will make a decision after they are satisfied with the claim. “
He said that, as in the past, J&K residents who work for security forces and are stationed outside the Union Territory can register as service voters and take advantage of the opportunity to vote by mail.
Likewise, those from different parts of the country who are stationed here have the option that if they are placed in a peace station they can apply as voters. Jammu is a peace station and anyone from outside stationed with armed forces in the city can use taking advantage of the opportunity to enlist as a voter,” he said.
He said that after the demarcation exercise, the number of meeting seats has increased to 90.
“All 90 constituencies have witnessed some kind of change… We are mapping old constituencies with new constituencies and it will be followed by the Special Summary Revision (SSR),” said Kumar, expressing satisfaction with ongoing pre-SSR activities.
He said 600 polling stations have been added and their total number in Jammu and Kashmir has now risen to 11,370.
The chief electoral officer said the amended registration forms provide for linking the Aadhaar number to the voter list data.
He said the commission will issue voter cards with new security features.
Speaking of Kashmiri migrants outside the valley, he said there is already a special provision for such displaced populations to allow them to exercise their franchise.
“They (Kashmiri Pandit migrants) are registered as voters in their own constituencies. Special camps are being organized for them in various places including Delhi, Jammu and Udhampur for the registration of new voters and all of them will be given the voter ID cards.” he said.
He rejected suggestions that Rohingya Muslims, who have taken refuge in Jammu and other parts, could register as voters. “We have officers and they know their duty”.
Commenting on the statement from the chief election official, Omar Abdullah, vice president of the National Conference, said: “Is the BJP so insecure about the support of real J&K voters that it has to import temporary voters to win seats?
“None of these things will help the BJP if the people of J&K are given a chance to exercise their franchise,” Omar Abdullah tweeted.
Is the BJP so insecure about the support of real J&K voters that it has to import temporary voters to win seats? None of these things will help the BJP if the folks at J&K get a chance to run their franchise. https://t.co/ZayxjHiaQy
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 17, 2022
Mehbooba Mufti tweeted: “The Indian government’s decision to postpone polls in J&K, preceded by blatant gerrymandering tipping the balance in favor of the BJP and now allowing non-locals to vote, is clear to the election results The real goal is to continue to rule J&K with an iron fist to make the locals powerless.”
The Indian government’s decision to postpone polls in J&K, preceded by blatant gerrymandering that tipped the balance in favor of the BJP, and now allowing non-locals to vote, is clearly impacting the election results. The real goal is to continue to rule J&K with an iron fist to disarm the locals. https://t.co/zHzqaMseG6
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 17, 2022
Sajad Lone of J&K Peoples Conference said: “This is dangerous. I don’t know what they want to achieve. This is much more than mischief. Democracy is a holdover, especially in the context of Kashmir. Please remember 1987. We have yet to get there “Don’t play 1987 again. It’ll be just as disastrous.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
