No change in special provisions for Kashmiri migrants for their enrolment in electoral rolls: DIPR

Srinagar, Aug 20: Amid opposition over the inclusion of non-local voting in Jammu & Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir's Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) on Saturday said that there is no change in special provisions for Kashmiri migrants for their enrolment in electoral rolls of their original native constituencies.

"There is no change in the rules regarding the buying of property and jobs in the Jammu and Kashmir's government and no link to the representation of voters or otherwise," it added. "Number of Electors as published in Special Summary Revision of J&K State in 2011 was 66,00,921; and number of electors as on today in the electoral roll of J&K UT is 76,02,397. This increase is mainly due to the new voters, who attained the age of 18 years," the DIPR said.

The Representation of People Act 1950 and 1951 is applicable in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, the government officials on Thursday said. It allows the ordinarily residing person to get registered in electoral rolls of UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

The move was opposed by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti who called it the "last nail in the coffin of electoral democracy".

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday took out a protest march here against the inclusion of non-local voters in the electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir.

Several PDP leaders led by the party's chief spokesperson Suhail Bukhari took out the march from the party's head office near Sher-e-Kashmir Park here.

Bukhari said the protest was against the electoral demographic change being forced by the BJP through inclusion of imported voters in the J-K electoral rolls.

He said the rights of the people of J-K are being trampled.

"After the abrogation of Article 370, Representation of People Act 1950 and 1951 is applicable. It allows ordinarily residing person to get registered in electoral rolls of UT of J-K, provided he/she gets the name deleted from the electoral roll of his/her native constituency," said the government officials.

Election Commission on Wednesday announced the schedule of the Special Summary Revision in Jammu and Kashmir, and announced that the people who were not voters in the Assembly after the abrogation of Article 370 from the region can now be named on the voter's list.