Non locals in J&K can vote in Assembly elections now; NC, PDP, PC aghast

18 August 2022

Community vote and voting diversity concept and diverse hands casting ballots at a polling station as a democratic right in a democracy as multicultural hands holding a blank paper with 3D illustration elements.

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Jammu, Aug 17: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer said on Wednesday that non-locals can now vote in the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu Kashmir.

“After the abrogation of Article 370, many people who were not enlisted as voters in the erstwhile state of J&K are now eligible to vote and in addition anyone who is living ordinarily can also avail the opportunity to get enlisted as a voter in J&K in accordance with the provisions of representation of the Peoples Act,” Kumar told reporters here.

NC, PDP, PC react sharply

Major political parties of J&K have reacted sharply to this, notably National Conference, PDP and People’s Conference, condemning this move.

”Is the BJP so insecure about support from genuine voters of J&K that it needs to import temporary voters to win seats? None of these things will help the BJP when the people of J&K are given a chance to exercise their franchise,” National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted.
He was reacting to media reports which claimed that people who are ordinarily residing in Jammu and Kashmir — for work, business or education — can vote in the next assembly elections.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the real aim of the process was to disempower the local population.

“GOIs decision to defer polls in J&K preceded by egregious gerrymandering tilting the balance in BJPs favour & now allowing non locals to vote is obviously to influence election results. Real aim is to continue ruling J&K with an iron fist to disempower locals,” Mufti said.

People’s Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone termed the move as ”dangerous” and said it will be ”disastrous”.

”This is dangerous. I don’t know what they want to achieve. This is much more than a mischief. Democracy is a relic especially in the context of Kashmir. Please remember 1987. We r yet to come out of that. Don’t replay 1987. It will be as disastrous,” Lone tweeted.

CPI (M) senior leader, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami said that what CEO has said amounts to disenfranchising the people of Jammu and Kashmir further. “The delimitation process through Re-organisation Act was an attempt to change the electoral demography of the region,” he said.

“In the absence of any representative government in J&K, the union government has been exercising undiluted control in the region through a bureaucratic structure since June 2018. Today’s statement of CEO is a brazen assault on the legitimate aspirations of the people,” Tarigami said.

Apni Party in a statement issued to KNO said that the presser of J&K CEO has raised concerns about the disempowerment of the people of J&K. Apni Party urged Government of India to come clear on the matter as prima facie this is aimed at disempowerment the people further.

What changes are being proposed?

Around 25 lakh new voters are expected to be registered in the Union Territory as the special summary review of electoral lists takes place for the first time. time after the repeal of Article 370 in 2019.

The massive exercise to complete the process on time is underway to ensure that all eligible voters, including those who turned 18 on or before October 1, 2022, are registered to provide a final “error-free” list, Kumar said. He also described the ongoing exercise to complete the special summary review of voter lists by November 25 as a “challenging task.”

Non-locals can vote in Jammu & Kashmir

According to the rescheduled schedule recently issued by the electoral commission, a draft integrated voter list will be published on September 15, while the period for filing claims and objections was set between September 15 and October 25, followed by the disposition of claims and objections on November 10.

“After the abrogation of Article 370, many people who were not enlisted as voters in the erstwhile state of J&K are now eligible to vote and in addition, anyone who is living ordinarily can also avail the opportunity to get enlisted as a voter in J&K in accordance with the provisions of representation of the Peoples Act,” Kumar told reporters here.

The Electoral Officer said there is no need for a person to have a domicile certificate of J&K to become a voter. “An employee, a student, a labourer or anyone from outside who is living ordinarily in J&K, can enlist his or her name in the voting list. The documents will be scrutinized by the government officials concerned who will take a decision after being satisfied with the claim.”

He said like in the past, many residents of J&K who are working in armed forces and paramilitary forces and are posted outside the Union Territory have an option to get themselves registered as service voters and can avail of the facility of a postal ballot to register their choice at the time of the elections.

“Likewise those from different parts of the country who are posted here have the option that if they are posted in a peace station they can enlist themselves as voters. Jammu is a peace station and anyone from outside posted in armed forces in the city can avail the option to enlist as a voter,” he said.

He said that the projected population of J&K who are over 18 years old is around 98 lakhs while the number of registered voters is 76 lakhs according to the latest voter list.

“We expect an addition of 20-25 lakh new voters to the final list,” Kumar said, adding that booth-level officers, voter registration officers, assistant voter registration officers and district election officers have been sensitized to ensure that the final list will be “error-free” and will also cover all eligible voters.

Kumar said a person does not need to have a J&K address certificate to become a voter. “An employee, a student, a worker or any outside person who normally lives in J&K, can put their name on the voting list. The documents will be examined by the interested government officials, who will make a decision after being satisfied with the claim.”

He said that, as in the past, many J&K residents who work in the military and paramilitary forces and are stationed outside of the Union Territory have the option to register as service voters and can take advantage of the vote-by-mail option to register your choice at election time.

“Similarly, those from different parts of the country who are stationed here have the option that if they are stationed in a peace station, they can enlist as voters. Jammu is a peace station and anyone from outside assigned to the forces armed women in the city can take advantage of the option to register as a voter,” he said.

He said that after the delimitation commission submitted its report on May 5 and the trade union law ministry implemented the report on May 20, the number of seats in the assembly in J&K increased to 90.

He said that after the Delimitation Commission submitted its report on May 5 and the Union Law Ministry implemented the report on May 20, the number of seats in the assembly in J&K increased to 90. “All 90 constituencies have witnessed some kind of change, they are currently mapping old constituencies with new constituencies and it will be followed by the Special Summary Review (SSR),” Kumar said, expressing satisfaction with the pre-SSR activities in grade.

He said that 600 polling stations have been added and now the total number of polling stations in Jammu and Kashmir has increased to 11,370. Kumar said the commission plans to hold door-to-door campaigns and also organize special camps at educational institutions to raise awareness among eligible voters.

On the holding of assembly elections, he said that the Electoral Commission of India is the authority that can make a decision on the timing of the elections. The electoral director said that provisions have been made in the modified registration forms to link the Aadhaar number with the electoral roll data, which is aimed at establishing the identity of voters and authenticating the entries in the electoral roll. He said the commission will issue new voter ID cards that will have new security features.

Regarding Kashmiri immigrants residing outside the valley, he said that there is already a special provision for this displaced population that allows them to exercise their right to vote.

“They (immigrant Kashmiri Pandits) are registered as voters in their home constituencies. Special camps are being organized for them in different places including Delhi, Jammu and Udhampur for new voter registration and all of them will be given voter cards” he said. He dismissed the idea that Rohingya Muslims, who have taken refuge in Jammu and elsewhere, could register as voters. “We have officers on site and they know their duty.”

Is there same rule in other states?

No one can vote in two or more states in India at the same time because India has a unique system of citizenship i.e. national citizenship. If a person votes for two states, then it is totally illegal. A person will be allowed to vote in only one legislative election at a time.

But, a person can only be enrolled where he/she resides, not somewhere different from where you are currently located.