Mehbooba slams Centre over registration of non-local voters, terms it 'settler colonialism'

Mehbooba was reacting to the order by the District Magistrate of Jammu who instructed all the Tehsildars and concerned officers of the district to register all the homeless people who do not have any identity documents on the voter list.

Srinagar (J&K): Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday alleged that the Center has started "settler colonialism" in the Jammu district. She was reacting to the order by the District Magistrate of Jammu over including non-locals in the voter list.

"EC's latest order for registration of new voters makes it clear that GOI's colonial settler project has been initiated in Jammu. They will bear the first blow to Dogra culture, identity, employment and business," Mehbooba tweeted. She said, "BJP attempts to create religious and regional divisions between Jammu and Kashmir must be thwarted because whether it a Kashmiri or a Dogra, safeguarding our identity and rights will be possible only if we put up a collective fight."

On Tuesday, the District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Avny Lavasa instructed all tahsildars in the district to issue certificates of residence to those residing in the winter capital for more than one year to facilitate their entry in the ongoing special summary revision of electoral rolls. Avny Lavasa passed the directive after taking serious note of some eligible voters facing hardships in registration as voters for the non-availability of required documents.

"Such persons can be registered in the district voter list who have been residing in the district for the last year," the directions in the order said. Meanwhile, Sajjad Lone led the Peoples Conference and termed the development "suspicious". "The latest order by DC Jammu authorizing revenue officials to issue a certificate of residence to outsiders residing in Jammu for more than one year is highly suspicious and aimed at enabling them to vote.

This goes against the SC judgment on the issue," the statement by the party read. It further said, "the onus of proving our suspicions wrong yet again lies on the ECI and the J&K administration. They must clarify if such a directive is permissible."

Interestingly in July, the Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir Hirdesh Kumar Singh had said in a press conference in Jammu that 25 lakh new votes would be registered in Jammu and Kashmir and non-locals would also be eligible to vote in the Union Territory. The political parties reacted adversely to this statement and said that the government is trying to disempower the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Former minister and chairman of Democratic Azad Party( DAP) Ghulam Nabi Azad said people outside shouldn't cast their vote (in the UT). "They can vote in their states in a sealed envelope, as per the system. The importance of voting in Jammu and Kashmir has been that only locals vote, be it Jammu or Kashmir," Azad said.

Meanwhile, the special summary revision of electoral rolls has been started in the Union Territory with effect from September 15 for registration of new voters, deletion, correction, and transposition of voters who have migrated or died since the last summary revision amid serious concern expressed by various political parties over the inclusion of non-locals as voters.