CEO, ECI deny issuing any directive to Jammu DC for certificates of residence to non-locals

CEO, ECI deny issuing any directive to Jammu DC for certificates of residence to non-locals

The Election Commission of India (ECI) and the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Jammu and Kashmir denied giving any directive whatsoever to Jammu district commissioner Avny Lavasa to issue a notification for giving certificates of residence to non-locals living in Jammu for more than one year.

In the controversial notification issued on Tuesday, the DC had directed revenue officials to issue certificates of residence to people living in the Jammu district for over a year to get them registered as voters.

Following massive outrage among the opposition parties, she verbally recanted the controversial notification late on Wednesday, but the withdrawal order has not been made public even after 42 hours.

A senior official at the office of the CEO in J&K said, “There was no instruction or communiqué by us to the Jammu DC to issue such a notification (issuing certificate of residence to non-locals). We had no role in it. Neither our office issued any such directive, nor was there any ECI order to the Jammu DC. You better ask her, who instructed her to come out with the notification.”

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said, “The instructions had come from the top. It was done on the instructions of the ruling party and that’s why they had recalled it now but it hasn’t been done in writing as yet. We have written a letter to authorities today to give us in writing that they have officially withdrawn the controversial notification in black and white and put it in the public domain”.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also echoed similar views.

“Basically, there is no accountability and everybody is trying to throw his balloon in the air. When there is no accountability, who is going to be held responsible now? Is there going to be any mechanism? If it was not done on the instructions of ECI or if it was not done on the verbal instruction of the BJP government then why did she do it? Is there going to be any explanation from her? I think before blaming her we need to know whether the BJP government had asked her to do that..just as a testing balloon, just to see what’s the reaction of the people”.

The former chief minister said that the BJP government was controlling the strings directly from Delhi.

“So, I am not sure that she would dare to do such a thing on her own. I don’t think that she would have done something on her own but let’s see what has happened,” added Mufti.

Repeated messages and calls to the DC remained unanswered.

It may be stated here that BJP has been aiming at “Mission 50 plus” at the next assembly elections, likely to be held next year, to form its government with a full majority.

According to the 2011 census, Jammu district had a total population of 15,29,958 and going by the 2001 census figures, which stood at 13,57,77, the average growth of population in the past decade is estimated to be around two lakhs in the district.

Not to forget that Jammu being a centrally located district of Jammu and Kashmir, which had been a railhead for a long and is an industrial hub, continues to attract migrant labourers, skilled and unskilled workers from states like Bihar, UP, and Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand.

Though Samba has emerged as a bigger industrial estate than Jammu in recent years, a major workforce of labourers and skilled and unskilled workers daily commute to Samba for work and return to Jammu in the evening because of its close proximity to Jammu.

Not to forget the district once had a big presence of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar and some among them had obtained ration cards and Aadhar cards in the past.

Further, the Jammu district is not a ‘disturbed area’—a pre-requisite for the paramilitary and armed force personnel and their families to switch their votes, if they wish, after deleting it from their native areas.

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