J&K leaders to discuss ‘inclusion of non-local voters’ at all-party meeting today

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Srinagar, Aug 22:
The
National
Conference
will
hold
an
‘all-party
meeting’
in
Srinagar
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
UT’s
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.

Jammu
and
Kashmir
sees
increase
in
school
enrolment
rate

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.
Doesn’t
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
PTI.
Dar
said
the
government
should
make
it
clear
what
it
means
by
ordinarily
living
persons.

“The
problem
is
that
someone
has
come
here
and
works
as
a
labourer.
There
is
no
documentary
proof
like
it
is
needed
in
other
places
that
a
person
has
lived
for
seven
or
eight
years
or
so
and
then
he
becomes
eligible
to
vote
there.
“Any
such
person
can
come
here
for
two
months,
deregister
himself
at
his
native
place
and
register
here
to
vote,
and
then
return.
So,
if
somebody
comes
here
for
two
months,
will
he
also
be
eligible
for
enrolling
himself
as
a
voter
here,” the
NC
state
spokesperson
said.

The
clarification
was
issued
through
an
advertisement
in
local
dailies
after
a
political
backlash
PDP
chief
spokesperson
Suhail
Bukhari
said
the
all-party
meeting
will
be
held
as
scheduled
and
everything,
even
the
clarification
issued
by
the
government,
will
be
discussed.
He
said
it
was
no
less
than
the
chief
electoral
officer
who
made
the
remarks
on
the
inclusion
of
nonlocals.

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The
Congress
party
on
Saturday
said
its
representatives
will
also
attend
the
meeting.

AICC
in-charge
J-K,
Rajani
Patil,
told
reporters
that
the
party
opposes
the
inclusion
of
non-locals
in
the
electoral
rolls
and
was
mulling
taking
a
legal
course
as
well
against
the
government’s
move.
While
there
was
no
reaction
so
far
from
the
Peoples
Conference
led
by
Sajad
Lone
over
the
participation
in
the
meeting
or
over
the
clarification,
Apni
Party
led
by
Altaf
Bukhari
seems
to
be
satisfied
with
the
government’s
response.

Speaking
to
reporters
on
voting
rights
for
non-locals
in
J&K,
Peoples
Conference
chairman
Sajad
Gani
Lone
said,”We
as
a
party
neither
accept
the
clarification
given
by
the
government
in
totality
nor
do
we
reject
it.
We
know
the
current
administration
here
or
in
Delhi
doesn’t
hold
political
parties
in
J&K
in
high
esteem.”

”It’s
not
the
law
that’s
a
threat
to
us,
we’re
scared
of
those
implementing
the
law.
If
we
feel
there
is
demographic
intervention
or
the
rights
of
the
people
of
J&K
are
compromised,
then
we
will
sit
on
hunger
strike
in
front
of
Parliament
in
Delhi,”
further
said.