The Jammu administration withdrew its earlier order which authorized the revenue officials to issue certificates of residence to those residing in Jammu for more than a year to enable their registration as voters in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The order on electoral rolls was issued by Avny Lavasa, District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, on October 11, 2022. The order was reportedly issued after taking serious note of some eligible voters facing hardships in registration as voters for the non-availability of required documents. No reason has been specified for the withdrawal of the order.
The Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls has been started in the Union Territory with effect from September 15. The exercise involves the registration of new voters, deletion, correction, and transposition of voters who have migrated or died since the last summary revision. During his recent Kashmir visit, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah said in Baramulla:
The polls will take place once the summary revision of the voter list is over.
The earlier decision of the Jammu administration to issue certificates of residence to the people residing in the territorial jurisdiction of Jammu for more than one year was opposed by many political parties of J&K, especially by the parties from the valley.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti opposing the decision had said:
Article 370 has been removed from J&K to pave way for these kinds of things and their main goal is to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP is afraid of elections because they know the people of Kashmir and Jammu have understood their intentions. They will lose badly here and that’s why they are now adding nonlocals to voter lists.
She added:
With the opening of land, jobs, and now votes for non-locals, the traditional culture of Kashmiris and Dogras will be ruined. People of Jammu will bear the first blow to Dogra culture, identity, employment & business, BJP’s attempts to create religious & regional divisions between Jammu & Kashmir must be thwarted because whether it’s a Kashmiri or a Dogra, safeguarding our identity & rights will be possible only if we put up a collective fight.
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad also opposed this decision and said that it will increase the social tension in the Union territory. He said:
We have always opposed the non-residents’ inclusion in the voter list and it will remain as such. Article 370 gave us this provision that no nonlocal can get the voting rights in Jammu and Kashmir. Giving a certificate is all right but giving them voting rights is not right. The social tension will increase a lot by this decision.
Veteran politician and former union minister Azad, who resigned from Congress in August 2022, floated his political party named Democratic Azad Party last month. Demanding full statehood for J&K is one of the stated goals of the party.
In August 2022, the Chief Electoral Officer of J&K, Hirdesh Kumar announced that 25 lakh additional voters including non-locals will be added to the voter’s list of the union territory, after the special summary revision of electoral rolls will be held for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370. He said:
After the abrogation of Article 370, many people who were not enlisted as voters in the erstwhile state of J&K are now eligible to vote and in addition, anyone who is living ordinarily can also avail the opportunity to get enlisted as a voter in J&K in accordance with the provisions of representation of the Peoples Act.
