Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Elections: Valmikis To Cast Votes For First Time After Years Of Rights Denial

The upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections mark a historic moment for the region, especially for the Valmiki community, who are voting for the first time after decades of exclusion.

These families, originally brought to Jammu in 1957 as sanitation workers during an epidemic, had long been denied voting rights under Articles 370 and 35A, reported India Today.

Photo Credit: PTI

Despite their essential service to the community, they were never granted permanent resident status, which deprived them of basic democratic and social rights.

The abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 changed that. After more than sixty years, around 10,000 members of the Valmiki community, now with domicile certificates, are eligible to participate in the upcoming elections.

This milestone is being celebrated as a powerful symbol of inclusion and recognition for a group that had lived as second-class citizens for so long.

Gharu Bhatti, President of the Valmiki Samaj, emphasized the deep gratitude the community feels toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the changes.

"We are thankful to the Prime Minister for abrogating Article 370. We have always wanted to be part of the democratic setup, and now that dream is coming true," he said.

Beyond the right to vote, the Valmiki community is seeing broader social transformations. Under the old laws, Valmiki children were unable to apply for government jobs due to the lack of a Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC), severely limiting their prospects.

Now, those restrictions have been lifted, creating new opportunities for future generations. Pioneering figures like Meena Bhatti, a law student, and Ekta Mattoo, who is pursuing an LLB degree, represent the emerging leadership within the Valmiki community, inspiring others to aim higher.

As Gharu Bhatti put it, "This is not just about voting. It is about being seen, about being recognised, and about knowing that our children's futures will be different from our past."

For the Valmikis, the upcoming elections are about more than casting a ballot-they are about claiming their place in society and embracing a future full of potential.