‘Addition of 25 lakh new voters will mainly cover existing residents’: J&K admin clarifies amid electoral roll row | India News

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday clarified that media reports about the addition of 25 lakh voters, including outsiders, is a “misrepresentation of facts by vested interests”.
It said that revision of electoral rolls will cover the existing residents of J&K and the increase in numbers will be due to those voters who have attained the age of 18.
The J&K government took note of media reports saying there will be over 25 lakh additional voters in the electoral rolls after the special summary revision.
“This is a misrepresentation of facts, which is being spread by the vested interests. This revision of electoral rolls will cover existing residents of the UT of J&K and increase in numbers will be of the voters who have attained the age of 18 years as on 1.10.2022 or earlier,” it said.

The J&K administration said that summary revision of electoral rolls are undertaken by Election Commission from time-to-time according to the laid down process.
“This is to enable young persons who become eligible to register themselves as voters. Besides, it also allows a person who has changed his ordinary place of residence to enrol at a new location by getting himself deleted at the old location,” the statement said.
The administration revealed that the number of electors as published in special summary revision of J&K in 2011 was 66,00,921. The number of electors as on today is 76,02,397, adding that the increase is mainly due to the new voters who attained the age of 18 years.
The statement also clarified that there is no change in the special provisions for Kashmiri migrants for their enrolment in the electoral rolls of their original native constituencies.
It added that there is no change in rules regarding buying of property and jobs in the government of UT of J&K and have no link to representation of voters or otherwise, it reads.

The clarification issued in local dailies came after Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Hirdesh Kumar recently said the Union territory was likely to get around 25 lakh additional voters, including outsiders, following the special summary revision of electoral rolls being held for the first time after Article 370 abrogation.
The statement caused an outcry in the Union Territory, with mainstream parties alleging that “inclusion of non-locals was a clear-cut ploy to disenfranchise the people of Jammu and Kashmir”.
National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah has called an all-party meeting over the issue on Monday.