EC orders revision of electoral rolls in J&K: Poll looming?
Final publication to be done Oct. 31
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has sought a special revision of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir. The move is being seen as an indication that the Assembly polls in the union territory (UT) will likely be held towards the end of 2022 or early next year.
The erstwhile state of J&K was placed under governor's rule on June 20, 2018, a day after the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition collapsed. That was followed by the dissolution of the Assembly. In August 2019 the Centre stripped the state of its special status by abrogating Article 370 and simultaneously split it up into two UTs.
Earlier this year, the Delimitation Commission, which was set up by the government on March 6, 2020 earmarked 43 seats for the Hindu majority Jammu region and 47 for the Muslimmajority Kashmir Valley, making up a total of 90 seats in the UT’s Assembly, up from the
■ EARLIER THIS year, the Delimitation Commission, which was set up by the govt on March 6, 2020 earmarked 43 seats for the Hindu majority Jammu region and 47 for the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley
earlier strength of 83.
The commission, in its final report, which took effect from May 21, 2022 also made massive changes in the structure of existing Assembly seats and redrew the boundaries of Anantng and Jammu Lok Sabha seats.
Recently, Union home minister Amit Shah said that since the delimitation exercise has been completed, the government is committed to holding the Assembly elections in J&K as early as possible. Defence minister Rajnath Singh during a visit to the valley early this month said that the democratic exercise could take place by the end of the current year.
The ECI has now, after a gap of three years,
ordered for special summary revision of the voters’ rolls. In its letter to the UT’s chief electoral officer (CEO), the ECI has said that the entire exercise be completed by October 31, with the final publication of electoral rolls. The ECI has set October 1 as the qualifying date for the revision of photo electoral rolls.
The ECI has said that, due to various administrative reasons and because of the decisions taken by the government on August 5, 2019 the annual revision of the electoral roll could not be undertaken in J&K. “In the meantime, the delimitation exercise of constituencies in the UT was also in progress and the finally delimited constituencies were notified by the Delimitation Commission on May 5, 2022,” the letter reads.
As per the schedule announced by the ECI, the integrated draft electoral roll shall be published on September 1 and the claims and objections can be filed between September 1 and 30 and the same be disposed of by October 15. The final publication of electoral rolls will be done on October 31.