Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar's announcement that non-residents would be eligible to cast ballots in the union territory, numerous assumptions have been made.
A commotion has spread throughout states following Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Hirdesh Kumar's announcement that non-locals, such as workers, students, and laborers, as well as anyone from outside who ordinarily resides in Jammu and Kashmir, will be able to register their names on the voting list and participate in the J&K elections.
Any Indian citizen, including non-residents who live or work in Jammu and Kashmir, is eligible to register to vote and participate in the assembly and local body elections in the union territory, according to CEO Hirdesh Kumar.
He claimed that anyone can have their name added to the voter list, even members of the military forces stationed at J&K's peace posts.
National and regional parties responded to the announcement. Political parties in J&K criticised the Centre and expressed outrage. People have also made some assumptions as a result of the proclamation. Let's distinguish between fact and fantasy.
Fiction: Anyone can cast a ballot in J&K. Some people believe anyone can travel to J&K, cast their vote, and then return. Additionally, it appears that a single individual may cast several ballots in various states.
Facts: The right to vote in state elections is guaranteed to every Indian citizen who resides in the nation. However, this does not imply that a person can cast more than one ballot. Officers of the election commission review all documentation before adding names to the voters' list, so if a resident of Delhi moves to Chennai and wants to vote in Chennai then he or she will have to get their name removed from Delhi's electoral roll and then get their name added to Chennai's electoral role (provided they have corrected documents).
Fiction: The electoral list will be expanded by 20–25 lakh new voters who have no link to J&K.
Fact: The process of creating an electoral roll occurs all across the nation. Instead of the previous single qualifying date of January 1, there are now four qualifying dates: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. These dates are used to determine eligibility for children to register on voting rolls.
The J&K electoral roll was last updated on January 1, 2019, which was three years ago. Data available to J&K CEO indicates that between 2019 and 2022, the state will add an additional 20–25 lakh voters to the voter rolls.
