Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 13: Deferred for 15 days, the final electoral rolls of Jammu and Kashmir will be finally published on Wednesday by the State Election Department after nearly three months long hectic exercise of summary revision. The number of electoral rolls has for the first time in history of the State crossed 7 million.
The publication of final electoral rolls was prime condition for the Election Commission to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umang Narula told the Excelsior that final electoral rolls after summary revision will be published on extended deadline of October 15.
“The task (for publication of electoral rolls) has been over. It was being given final touch and the electoral rolls will be published on October 15,’’ he said.
The publication of final electoral rolls was due on October 1 but the Election Commission had deferred it by 15 days due to heavy floods in the State, which had diverted focus of the District Election Officers (DEOs) from summary revision to relief and rehabilitation.
Official sources said all 22 Deputy Commissioners have confirmed to the Election Commission that they will be ready with final electoral rolls on October 15. The Election Department will accordingly publish the final rolls on October 15, which were mandatory for holding the Assembly elections.
Sources said number of the voters in Jammu and Kashmir after the summary revision has crossed 7 million for the first time and now stood around 71 lakh. The Election Department has deleted about 60,000 West Pakistan refugee voters from the electoral rolls used in the Parliamentary elections as they were not entitled to cast votes in the Assembly elections due to denial of state subject rights to them by the State Government.
“About 60,000 to 65,000 West Pakistan refugee voters, who had used their right to franchise in April-May Parliamentary elections in the State, have been deleted from electoral rolls for the Assembly polls as the State Government refused to treat them as permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir,’’ sources said.
However, despite exclusion of West Pakistan refugees from the electoral rolls, number of the total electorates in the State has crossed 7 million and would stand around 71 lakh during the Assembly elections if they are held in November-December.
The State had 61.65 lakh electorates during 2002 Assembly elections and the number had swell to 64.61 lakh in 2008 when last Assembly polls were held in Jammu and Kashmir. However, during summary revision in last quarter of 2012 and publication of final rolls on January 1, 2013, number of electorates in Jammu and Kashmir stood at 68.81 lakh.
However, number of the voters had gone up to 69.91 lakh when Parliamentary elections were held in the State in April-May this year. The number of voters after fresh summary revision, the electoral rolls for which are being published on October 15 will be around 71 lakh, sources said.
The Election Commission had ordered summary revision of electoral rolls for Jammu and Kashmir on June 16 and set the deadline of October 1 for publication of final electoral rolls before holding Assembly elections in November-December.
In other States, the electoral rolls are published after summary revision once a year i.e. January 1. However, in Jammu and Kashmir, there were four dates for summary revision and publication of final electoral rolls on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.
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