Several Kashmir based regional political parties have been accusing the Bharatiya Janta Party led Union government of importing 'non-local voters' in Jammu and Kashmir to win seats.
A fact check on the ground clearly revealed a large number of non local voters have already been exercising their right to franchise without facing any hardship. In addition, the majority of these non-locals have already made Jammu and Kashmir their second home and have been earning their livelihood for over four decades now.
According to these non-locals, their voter cards were prepared three decades ago and have been regularly voting in the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, some of these voters claimed to have voted even during 1996 and 2002 Assembly polls. They claimed since 2008 they have not voted in the Assembly polls claiming the rival party workers had raised objections following which their names were struck off from the voters list.
Rough estimates suggested there are more than 30,000 Non Permanent voters registered in Jammu and Kashmir and majority of them have exercised their right to franchise in 2019 Lok Sabha polls as well. These Non Permanent voters mostly hail from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and other states.
This correspondent recently visited several areas in Jammu and met some of the non local voters regularly voting in the Lok Sabha polls.
A non local voter, hailing from Bhagalpur district of Bihar, told The Pioneer, "I have been staying in Jammu since 1981. It's been 41 years now. Initially, I used to work in the gun factories. Later, I started my own shop in a residential colony and raised my children". "I have been voting here since 1991. I also exercised my vote during the 1996 and 2002 Assembly polls". His elder son, working here in Jammu as a fruit vendor claimed I, along with my wife and younger brother, are also registered here as voters.
"Now my children are also going to register themselves as voters as both of them have attained the voting age of 18 years. Currently, they are studying in SPMR college of commerce and determined to serve here and find a foothold. We are living here peacefully and have never faced any difficulty". "There are several hundred non local voters who are registered here as voters and have been exercising their right to franchise during polls", another local resident living in the same Preet Nagar area told The Pioneer.
Another family from Janjgir Champa district of Chhattisgarh, living in Jammu for over 33 years now claimed they are eager to enroll themselves as voters and settle down here permanently. "I also want to improve my living conditions. My children are studying in class 11 and class 10 and I have been running this tailoring shop for almost 33 years now", said Chhabi Lal.