Farooq Abdullah to call all-party meet in September on J&K voting rights to ‘non-natives’ | India News
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SRINAGAR: Cautioning the Centre and Election Commission that Kashmiris won’t accept “voting rights to non-natives of J&K”, National Conference president and Srinagar MP Farooq Abdullah said Monday that he will call a meeting of national and regional political parties in September to brief them about the electoral rolls revision that is set to include people from other states living in the Union territory and now eligible to vote.
“Giving voting rights to non-locals is completely unacceptable. We might move court, if needed,” said the 90-year-old former CM, venting mainstream regional parties’ fear that BJP would “import” voters to win elections in the UT.
For its part, BJP dismissed accusations that the revised voters list would change J&K’s demography. “Anyone living in J&K for two, three or four years has the right to vote here. If leaders from J&K can contest elections outside the region, why can’t those living in J&K vote here,” BJP J&K unit general secretary Ashok Koul said.
J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina said his party does not need “bogus” voters for electoral success. He accused NC, PDP and other parties of raking up a “non-issue” to disturb peace. “After the delimitation exercise, youths above the age of 18 years are being added as new voters, but NC, PDP, Congress are misleading people.”
“The Representation of the People Act was implemented across the country in 1951 and was extended to J&K after the abrogation of Article 370 (in August 2019). The revision of electoral rolls is taking place in accordance with the law,” he said in Jammu.
The special summary revision of electoral rolls could swell J&K’s electorate by 25 lakh new voters, accounting for those who have turned 18 since the last update in 2019 and also people from other states working in the UT.
“The number may go up to 50 lakh or 1 crore tomorrow. J&K’s identity is facing a direct assault as Dogras, Kashmiris, Sikhs and other communities are losing their identity,” said Abdullah at a press conference after an all-party meeting at his Gupkar Road home in Srinagar.
He said the meeting unanimously decided to oppose the exercise of giving voting rights to non-natives that could potentially include migrant workers and central security forces. “I wonder why J&K was chosen for this. There must be some motive,” he said.
Abdullah said he will invite members of national parties to Srinagar or Jammu for an all-party meeting in September to discuss the situation in J&K and moves by the Centre “to change the region’s demography and identity”.
He was flanked by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPM’s MY Tarigami, the Uddhav Thackeray group of Shiv Sena’s J&K unit president Manish Sahni, and J&K Congress’s new president Vikar Rasool.
“NC, Congress, PDP, Awami National Conference (ANC), Shiv Sena (Thackeray), CPM, JD(U) and Akali Dal were present at the meeting,” he said. This was the first instance of the Jammu-based Shiv Sena (Thackeray), JD(U) and Akali Dal attending a meeting called by the People’s Alliance of Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) of three parties—NC, PDP and CPM.
Altaf Bukhari’s JKPNI party and Sajad Gani Lone’s Peoples Conference stayed away.
Declining to attend the meeting, Lone said: “I believe the outcome of the government’s move will not change, whether we attend the all-party meeting or not.” However, he announced that his party will protest in front of Parliament if any attempt is made to change J&K’s electoral demography.
BJP ally Apni Party said it didn’t attend the meeting called by Abdullah because the “party is satisfied with the clarification issued by the government”.
(Inputs from Sanjay Khajuria in Jammu)
“Giving voting rights to non-locals is completely unacceptable. We might move court, if needed,” said the 90-year-old former CM, venting mainstream regional parties’ fear that BJP would “import” voters to win elections in the UT.
For its part, BJP dismissed accusations that the revised voters list would change J&K’s demography. “Anyone living in J&K for two, three or four years has the right to vote here. If leaders from J&K can contest elections outside the region, why can’t those living in J&K vote here,” BJP J&K unit general secretary Ashok Koul said.
J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina said his party does not need “bogus” voters for electoral success. He accused NC, PDP and other parties of raking up a “non-issue” to disturb peace. “After the delimitation exercise, youths above the age of 18 years are being added as new voters, but NC, PDP, Congress are misleading people.”
“The Representation of the People Act was implemented across the country in 1951 and was extended to J&K after the abrogation of Article 370 (in August 2019). The revision of electoral rolls is taking place in accordance with the law,” he said in Jammu.
The special summary revision of electoral rolls could swell J&K’s electorate by 25 lakh new voters, accounting for those who have turned 18 since the last update in 2019 and also people from other states working in the UT.
“The number may go up to 50 lakh or 1 crore tomorrow. J&K’s identity is facing a direct assault as Dogras, Kashmiris, Sikhs and other communities are losing their identity,” said Abdullah at a press conference after an all-party meeting at his Gupkar Road home in Srinagar.
He said the meeting unanimously decided to oppose the exercise of giving voting rights to non-natives that could potentially include migrant workers and central security forces. “I wonder why J&K was chosen for this. There must be some motive,” he said.
Abdullah said he will invite members of national parties to Srinagar or Jammu for an all-party meeting in September to discuss the situation in J&K and moves by the Centre “to change the region’s demography and identity”.
He was flanked by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPM’s MY Tarigami, the Uddhav Thackeray group of Shiv Sena’s J&K unit president Manish Sahni, and J&K Congress’s new president Vikar Rasool.
“NC, Congress, PDP, Awami National Conference (ANC), Shiv Sena (Thackeray), CPM, JD(U) and Akali Dal were present at the meeting,” he said. This was the first instance of the Jammu-based Shiv Sena (Thackeray), JD(U) and Akali Dal attending a meeting called by the People’s Alliance of Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) of three parties—NC, PDP and CPM.
Altaf Bukhari’s JKPNI party and Sajad Gani Lone’s Peoples Conference stayed away.
Declining to attend the meeting, Lone said: “I believe the outcome of the government’s move will not change, whether we attend the all-party meeting or not.” However, he announced that his party will protest in front of Parliament if any attempt is made to change J&K’s electoral demography.
BJP ally Apni Party said it didn’t attend the meeting called by Abdullah because the “party is satisfied with the clarification issued by the government”.
(Inputs from Sanjay Khajuria in Jammu)
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