Srinagar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said that all parties’ meetings convened by National Conference president, Dr Farooq Abdullah recently was aimed at creating confusion among ‘bonafide’ voters of Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference at BJP office at Jawaharnagar here, party chief state spokesperson, Sunil Sethi lashed out at People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) for politicizing the ECI statement.
He said the Center does not plan to add new voters to the existing electoral rolls of Jammu and Kashmir as was alleged during the all party meeting.
Sethi clarified that only those living or working in Jammu and Kashmir on ordinary basis can register as voters here but only after they ‘deregister’ themselves from their original place of franchise.
Sethi said since laws stand changed in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, now the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir will also exercise their franchise and per The Representation of People Act applicable to entire India.
“They (PAGD) play politics and all those parties that attended the all party meeting in Srinagar are misleading the bonafide voters of Jammu and Kashmir about their voting rights,” Sethi said, while refusing to comment on the statement of J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer, saying “we cannot comment on the that the Election Commission of India (ECI) statement as it’s an apolitical body.”
He also said that West Pakistan refugees, people from Valmiki and Gorkha communities and those who were denied state-subject rights earlier are now entitled to vote, and will figure in the revised voter list.
