The all-party meeting called by Farooq Abdullah, NC president and MP, to discuss voting rights for non-voters in Jammu and Kashmir has started at his residence in Srinagar. The CPI and Shiv Sena are also attending the meeting.
The meeting will be discussing the impact of the voting rights to non-locals living ordinarily in the Union Territory, including Army and Central Armed Force Personnel (CAPF), employees of Central and private companies, students and labourers.
The regional parties have called the decision a ploy by the BJP to disenfranchise the natives and grab power. The all-party meeting was called by Abdullah after PDP leader and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti contacted him to convene a meeting to discuss the fallout of the move announced by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Hirdesh Kumar on August 17.
Kumar said those living ordinarily in the UT can register themselves as voters as the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, the law that deals with the conduct of elections in India, also applies to the region after the abrogation of Article 370. He said there is no need for a domicile to register as a voter in Jammu and Kashmir. He said they were expecting 20 to 25 lakh voters to be added to the voting rolls by November end.
He said the projected population of Jammu and Kashmir, who are aged above 18 years is around 98 lakhs, while the number of enlisted voters is 76 lakh, according to the previous voter list. The announcement has caused a stir in the political circles in Jammu and Kashmir. Political parties in both regions have voiced opposition to the move. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on August 20 clarified that reports of a likely addition of over 25 lakh voters after the summary revision of electoral roll is a "misrepresentation of facts by vested interests."
The clarification was issued through an advertisement in local dailies stating the summary revision of electoral rolls is undertaken by the Election Commission from time to time according to the laid down process. “This is a misrepresentation of facts spread by vested interests. 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.
Annie Raja, member National Executive CPI and General Secretary National Federation of Indian Women said she was attending the meeting on the invitation of Abdullah. She said she was in Srinagar to attend the Communist Party of India ( Jammu and Kashmir) 15th state conference.