J-K parties to meet Monday, discuss issue of inclusion of non-local voters in electoral rolls

The National Conference will hold an “all-party meeting” here on Monday to discuss the issue of “inclusion of non-local voters” in the revised electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir. Parties like the NC and PDP claimed the administration has not addressed their main concern on whether outsiders ordinarily residing in J-K will be allowed to enrol as voters and the meeting will discuss the clarification issued by the administration on the matter. So the meeting will discuss everything threadbare. Even the clarification will be discussed. It is an all-party meeting and every party will present their point of view, PDP chief spokesperson Suhail Bukhari had said.

NC president Farooq Abdullah had called the meeting to discuss the issue of the “inclusion of non-local voters” in the electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir after remarks related to the addition of voters in the revised rolls by the UTs Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar raised hackles of the regional parties.

The government on Saturday issued a clarification, saying the reports of a likely addition of over 25 lakh voters after the summary revision of electoral rolls is a “misrepresentation of facts by vested interests”.

The Kashmiri migrants “will continue to be given the option of voting at their place of enrolment or through postal ballot or through specially set up polling stations at Jammu, Udhampur, Delhi, etc,” it said.

“This revision of electoral rolls will cover existing residents of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the increase in numbers will be of voters who have attained the age of 18 years as of October 1, 2022, or earlier,” it said.

Mainstream political parties have alleged that the “inclusion of non-locals was a clear-cut ploy to disenfranchise the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.

However, even after the clarification, the political parties will go ahead with the all-party meeting convened by the NC president at his residence.

The clarification issued by DIPR is a silent endorsement of the statement given by the Chief Election Officer. Doesnt address our apprehensions about non-locals en masse being given the power to vote. Yet another design to dispossess people of J&K, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

The National Conference also said the clarification does not address whether “outsiders” residing on J-K can vote or not.

There is no clarity on the most important point of voting rights to outsiders ordinarily residing in J-K, National Conference (NC) state spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar told

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