Controversial Order For Voting Rights To Jammu Non-Locals Withdrawn

The Jammu region district magistrate has withdrawn a controversial order on voting rights for non-locals amid a political backlash and allegations of electoral list manipulation using "imported" voters.

The district magistrate on Tuesday asked field officials to register even those people as voters who have no documentary proof but have been living in the region for the last one year.

Officials said the order was withdrawn last night.

Regional parties and leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad had opposed the move.

Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti accused the central government for implementing a "colonial settler project" in Jammu region.

The district magistrate had allowed revenue officials to issue certificates of residence to those living in Jammu region for more than a year as part of the voter enrolment process.

In the circular, Avny Lavasa, the district election officer, said some new eligible voters have been facing hardships in registering due to non-availability of documents.

"Tehsildars are authorised to issue certificate of residence after conducting necessary field verifications, to the person(s) residing in district Jammu for more than one year," the circular said.

The Jammu and Kashmir electoral rolls revision will be completed by November 25.

Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent Jammu and Kashmir visit said the assembly elections will be held soon after the electoral rolls are revised.

The controversy over inclusion of non-locals as voters started in August after the Jammu and Kashmir chief electoral officer said some 20-25 lakh new voters will be added during the electoral rolls revision, and that non-locals who are "ordinarily" living in Jammu and Kashmir would be enrolled as voters.

Before Jammu and Kashmir's special status under the Constitution was scrapped in August 2019, only permanent residents were eligible to vote. All laws defining permanent residents of the erstwhile state, barring outsiders from owning property, and voting rights in Jammu and Kashmir were removed in August 2019.

Before the electoral rolls revision started, a controversial delimitation exercise, whose genuineness is being questioned, redrew 90 assembly constituencies. There are allegations of gerrymandering and brazen discrepancies in allotting seats on considerations other than population as the sole criteria.

The opposition alleges it was done to turn a demographic majority into a political minority to help a political party. The BJP has rejected the allegations.

Now, it's the inclusion of non-locals which has deepened fears and questions are raised over the credibility of the entire process.

Quoting the Election Commission's guidelines for voter registration, the order said if a person doesn't have documents, water and electricity bill, passport or rent deed will do for voter registration. A field verification by an official can also help get a certificate of residence and enrolled as a voter.