Jammu (TIP)- In a major decision, Jammu and Kashmir‘s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Hirdesh Kumar has announced that non-locals, including employees, students, labourers or anyone from outside who is living ordinarily in Jammu and Kashmir, can register their names in the voting list, and vote in the J&K elections.

He said that the requirement of domicile is not necessary for outsiders to get enlisted as voters. He has also said that armed forces personnel from other states who are posted at peace stations in J&K can also get their names added in the voter list. Kumar said around 25 lakh new voters are expected to be enrolled in the Union Territory as the special summary revision of electoral rolls is being held for the first time after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Describing the ongoing exercise as a challenging task, he said the special summary revision of electoral rolls will be completed by 25 November. “The massive exercise to complete the process in time is going on to ensure that all the eligible voters including those who have attained the age of 18 years on 1 October, 2022 or earlier are enrolled to provide an error-free final list,” ABP report quoted Kumar as saying.

The Voter ID will be linked to AADHAR and new cards will be issued with many more security features, however, furnishing of Aadhaar number is purely voluntary, the report added.

Reacting to the development, Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah accused the BJP of seeking backdoor entry into J&K by bringing in non-local voters. “Is the BJP so insecure about support from genuine voters of J&K that it needs to import temporary voters to win seats? None of these things will help the BJP when the people of J&K are given a chance to exercise their franchise,” he tweeted.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said the real aim behind the move is to tilt the balance in BJP’s favour.  “GOIs decision to defer polls in J&K preceded by egregious gerrymandering tilting the balance in BJPs favour & now allowing non locals to vote is obviously to influence election results. Real aim is to continue ruling J&K with an iron fist to disempower locals,” she wrote. J&K Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone, however, warned that the step would be a replay of 1987 – implying alleged rigging in the polls that led to the outbreak of insurgency a year later. “This is dangerous. I don’t know what they want to achieve. This is much more than a mischief. Democracy is a relic especially in the context of Kashmir. Please remember 1987. We are yet to come out of that. Don’t replay 1987. It will be as disastrous,” Lone said.

Key points

–              25 lakh new voters are likely to be registered for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir with the new special revision of electoral rolls.

–              Anybody living ordinarily in Jammu and Kashmir for job, education, labour or business can register as a voter and cast vote in the Assembly elections

–              With this provision after the abrogation of Article 370, there is now no requirement of Permanent Resident Certificate or domicile certificate of Jammu and Kashmir to become a voter.

–              Jammu and Kashmir residents, who work in a different state, also have the option to enroll themselves as service voters.