Parties unite to form panel on non-local voters’ issue

PTI

Jammu, September 10

A meeting convened by the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) here on Saturday decided to set up a committee to chalk out the future strategy on the issue of inclusion of “non-locals” in the J&K electoral rolls.

To make strategy

• Farooq Abdullah chairs a three-hour meeting, attended by several Jammu parties as well.
• The panel will chalk out strategy on the issue of inclusion of “non-local” voters in J&K.

The meeting was attended by all the five constituents of the PAGD—NC, PDP, CPM, CPI and Awami National Conference—besides the Congress and several Jammu-based parties, including Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party and Dogra Sadar Sabha, led by former minister Gulchain Singh Charak.

PAGD chairperson and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah announced the decision after chairing the over three-hour meeting at his residence here. “Charak put forward a suggestion that a committee should be formed,” the former CM said.

“We are all together to stop the onslaught which is taking place in J&K,” Farooq said. Referring to the participation of Jammu-based leaders in the meeting, he said, “They belong to different ideology or have different agenda but we are all here together on this issue.”

The BJP has, however, slammed the NC, the PDP and others for raking up the issue and accused them of spreading propaganda to disturb the peace. It has said there was no issue of “locals or non-locals” as the Constitution gave right to every citizen to vote after attaining the age of 18.

On September 5, Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar had convened an all party meeting here to discuss the summary revision of electoral rolls which caused a heated argument between the BJP and Opposition leaders, who later claimed that the chair ignored their concerns about inclusion of 25 lakh voters including "outsiders".

Kumar had in August said J&K was likely to get around 25 lakh additional voters, including outsiders, after the special summary revision of electoral rolls.

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