Electoral roll-revision in J&K sets off polls talk

SRINAGAR:  In an indication that Assembly polls may be held in Jammu and Kashmir by this year-end, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a special summary revision of electoral rolls in the Union Territory after a gap of three years. 

In a letter to J&K’s chief electoral officer, the ECI has directed that the entire exercise of special summary revision of photo electoral rolls should be completed by Oct. 31, with final publication of electoral rolls.
“As the revision of electoral roll was not conducted for the last three years in J&K, the newly eligible electors could not get themselves registered in the electoral roll.

In view of the same, in order to update electoral rolls on the basis of newly delimitated constituencies, so that all newly eligible young electors can have the opportunity to get themselves enrolled, the exercise of Special Summary Revision with reference to the next qualifying date is required to be undertaken without further delay,” reads the letter.

The ECI’s order comes after the completion of delimitation exercise in J&K by the Delimitation Commission, which was formed in March 2020 for redrawing the Assembly and parliamentary constituencies after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K state into two Union Territories by the Centre on Aug. 5, 2109. 

Of the 90 Assembly seats in J&K, Kashmir and Jammu will have 47 and 43 seats, respectively. The Assembly seats in J&K had increased from 83 to 90 after the revocation of Article 370.
Political parties hope that the first-ever Assembly elections in J&K UT will be held possibly by October-November.

Jammu and Kashmir has been under central rule since June 2018 after the collapse of the PDP-BJP coalition government headed by Mehbooba Mufti following withdrawal of support by the saffron party citing security concerns.