Addition of 25 lakh voters in Jammu and Kashmir is misrepresentation of facts: Admn

Arjun Sharma

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Jammu, August 20

Days after Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar anticipated that there would be an increase of 20-25 lakh voters in Jammu and Kashmir after revision of electoral rolls and a political controversy that followed the statement, the UT Administration today said that it is a misrepresentation of facts spread by vested interests.

🗳 @diprjk 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑱&𝑲 𝑬𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒔

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— Information & PR, Kathua (@DiprKathua) August 20, 2022

The Information Department of J&K administration informed that summary revision of electoral rolls are undertaken by the Election Commission from time to time according to a laid down process. “This is to enable young persons who become eligible to register themselves as voters. Besides, it also allows a person who has changed his ordinary place of residence to enroll at a new location by getting himself deleted at the old location.”

It stated that the 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. There have been media reports that more than 25 lakh additions will be there in the electoral rolls once the process of electoral roll revision starts,” the department issued a statement on Twitter.

“This is a misrepresentation of facts, which is being spread by vested interests. This revision of electoral rolls will cover existing residents of the UT of J&K and increase in numbers will be of the voters who have attained the age of 18 years as on October 1, 2022 or earlier,” it stated.

The J&K administration has categorically stated that there is no change in the special provisions for Kashmiri migrants for their enrolment in the electoral rolls of their original native constituencies. “They will continue to be given the option of voting at their place of enrolment or through postal ballot or through specially setup polling stations at Jammu, Udhampur, Delhi, etc.  It is further clarified that there is no change in rules regarding buying of property and jobs in the UT of J&K and have no link to representation of voters or otherwise,” the statement read.

Kashmir-based leaders, including Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah, had criticised the perceived move of allowing the non–locals to vote in the Assembly polls of J&K. Many groups of people, including West Pakistani refugees, will get the right to vote for the first time.