J&K new voter registration: Jammu DC withdraws order after parties oppose

The Jammu administration has withdrawn the order on facilitating the registration of new voters who are from outside the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Avny Lavasa, the Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer, Jammu, withdrew her order after the National Conference, PDP, Congress and other prominent political parties in Jammu and Kashmir had flayed the Jammu administration’s order.

The BJP had defended it saying it is in line with the laws.

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The Jammu administration had authorised tehsildars (revenue officials) to issue a certificate of residence to those residing in the winter capital for more than a year to enable their registration as voters.

While Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti alleged that the Centre’s “colonial settler project” has been initiated in the region, the National Conference urged people of J-K to “defeat these conspiracies at the ballot box”.

Former Congress leader and Democratic Azad Party chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad said the order would increase social tensions in J-K, while the Peoples Conference termed the Jammu’s DC order “highly suspicious”.

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“The ECI’s latest order for registration of new voters makes it clear that GOIs colonial settler project has been initiated in Jammu. They will bear the first blow to Dogra culture, identity, employment & business,” Mufti tweeted.

BJPs attempts to create religious & regional divisions between Jammu & Kashmir must be thwarted because whether its a Kashmiri or a Dogra, safeguarding our identity & rights will be possible only if we put up a collective fight.

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) October 12, 2022

Talking to reporters in Kulgam district in south Kashmir, Mufti said her party has been saying that the BJP has an “illegitimate intent” behind the abrogation of Article 370.

“Their aim is to change the population ratio in J-K. It will start in Jammu when a sea of people will come from outside, which will not only harm the Dogra culture there but the business, employment and resources there will be attacked. The crime rate there has increased manifold since they opened the doors for the outsiders,” she alleged.

The National Conference (NC) claimed the BJP is “scared” of the elections and knows it will lose badly.

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“The Government is going ahead with its plan to add 25 lakh non-local voters in J&K and we continue to oppose this move. BJP is scared of the elections & knows it will lose badly. People of J&K must defeat these conspiracies at the ballot box,” the NC said in a tweet.

The Government is going ahead with its plan to add 25 lakh non-local voters in J&K and we continue to oppose this move. BJP is scared of the elections & knows it will lose badly. People of J&K must defeat these conspiracies at the ballot box. pic.twitter.com/U6fjnUpRct

— JKNC (@JKNC_) October 11, 2022

NC state spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the fresh order was an extension of what the then Chief Electoral Officer Hridesh Kumar had said at his press conference in Jammu.

The Peoples Conference said in a statement that the Jammu DC order “reinforces the apprehensions in the minds of locals that outsiders are being enabled to register as voters to change the demographic profile of J-K”.

It urged the Election Commission of India as well as the J-K administration to come clean on the matter.

“We will always oppose making a non-resident a voter because Article 370 biggest benefit was that outsiders will not become voters here. This is not right, not right for the state and it will increase social tension,” Azad told reporters.

J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina, however, said the guidelines are in accordance with the Representation of the People Act.

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“There is nothing wrong in people from outside J&K getting enrolled as voters in the Union Territory, a right which is given to them by the Constitution. After the abrogation of Article 370 (in August 2019), the Act came into force in J-K as well,” he said.

He accused opposition parties including the National Conference, Congress and PDP of unleashing propaganda under a “conspiracy” to mislead the people.

The Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls was started in the Union Territory on September 15 for the registration of new voters, deletion, correction, and transposition of voters who have migrated or died since the last summary revision.

(With agency inputs)