The Gupkar Alliance has received a shot in the arm after almost all opposition parties — including unexpected quarters like the Shiv Sena — pledged to fight the fresh electoral revision that proposes to give voting rights to non-locals working or studying in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We do not accept this (non-locals having voting rights in J&K). We have differences but all parties are together as they realise that in future, we will be left out of our assembly,’’ Dr Farooq Abdullah told reporters at his residence.
Except the Bharatiya Janata Party, Panther’s Party, Kashmir-based People’s Conference and Apni Party, almost all parties — Congress, Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (United) and Akali Dal (Mann) — participated in the meeting called by the Gupkar Alliance on Monday. What was significant was that support for the alliance came from unexpected quarters such as the Shiv Sena, which otherwise had a completely opposite stand on the repeal of Article 370 and 35A. In fact, the Sena had celebrated the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.
Dr Farooq Abdullah holds all-party meet over inclusion of the non-local voters in J&K.@OmarAbdullah, @MahboobaMuftiVikar Rasool, others present on the occasion. pic.twitter.com/7ZdSPUFuzr
— JKNC (@JKNC_) August 22, 2022
Abdullah said the parties present have opposed the announcement of the Election Commission, calling the decision “totally unacceptable”. “We can even approach court to oppose the move.”
Manish Sahni, Sena’s J&K president, said: “We will stand together to fight against the issue of granting voting rights to outsiders. We are doing this for local people.”
Abdullah said the Gupkar Alliance would invite all opposition parties of the country and seek their support against the unconstitutional act of enlisting voters from outside the erstwhile state. “We are calling them either to Jammu or Srinagar in September,’’ he said, claiming there must be a motive behind the move.
The National Conference president said parties are also exploring the option of knocking the doors of the Supreme Court. “Let me remind the (Centre) we will not back off. We will never give up our fight,’’ he said.
On August 16, Chief Electoral Officer Hridesh Kumar had said that after the abrogation of Article 370, a large number of people who were not voters in assembly elections before would be enlisted as voters. He said people living in the erstwhile state for the purpose of employment, education, labour or business can be enrolled as a voter even if they are not a permanent resident of Jammu and Kashmir. His statement created a furore in the Valley, with political parties like the NC and People’s Democratic Party slamming the move.
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. https://t.co/zHzqaMseG6
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) August 17, 2022
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. https://t.co/ZayxjHiaQy
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 17, 2022
Many Valley leaders are of the opinion that 20-25 lakh new voters would be added to the electoral list and most of them would come from outside, thereby creating some kind of “demographic intervention”.
On its part, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s administration clarified that the exercise was not new but taken up from time to time to incorporate younger population which might have hit 18 years of age. It rubbished the reports that that 25 lakh additions would be made in the electoral rolls and hit out at “vested interests for spreading canards’’.
At his Gupkar residence, Abdullah reiterated that the number of non J&K residents who have been given voting rights is 25 lakh. “Tomorrow the number may go up to 50 lakh or 1 crore,’’ he said. “The identity of Dogras, Kashmiris, Sikhs and other communities is under threat,” he added.
Earlier, Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone said they will sit on hunger strike before Parliament and other constitutional bodies if there is an attempt by the government to interfere in the electoral demography.
“The law (Representation of The Peoples Act-1951) is not a threat to us but the intentions of the Government are a threat to us,” he said, adding his party neither accepted the clarification issued by the Jammu & Kashmir L-G, nor rejected it. Lone did not attend the meet of the Gupkar Alliance.
The ruling BJP said the government is implementing the constitution in the Valley. “In J&K, there is no demographic intervention. The govt is just trying to give people their right to vote. These people are living in the state and contributing to its development. The govt is implementing the constitution in the valley. People like @ sajadlone should understand this,” Ashish Sood, BJP’s Seh Prabhari, tweeted.
BJP’s J&K general secretary Ashok Kaul said no demographic change would be made by the summary revision of voters. “Anyone living here for two to four years has the right to vote ..just like leaders from Jammu and Kashmir can contest elections from outside J&K, why can’t people living from outside vote here,’’ he asked. He said there was no motive of demographic intervention.
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