PAGD, Cong & others form committee on ‘outsider voters’ in J&K,

Srinagar: The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and other parties have set up a committee to chalk out future strategy on the issue of any attempt of “manipulation” and “inclusion” of “non-locals” in the revised electoral rolls of Jammu and Kashmir.
The spokesman of PAGD, M Y Tarigami on Saturday said Member Parliament Justice (Retired) Hasnain Masoodi would be the convener of the 14-member committee.
He said a decision to constitute a committee to chalk out future strategy on the issue of inclusion of “non-locals” in the revised electoral rolls of J&K was taken at the meeting attended by senior leaders of various political parties under the chairmanship of Dr Farooq Abdullah at Jammu on September 11.
“After mutual deliberations and consultations, the committee has been constituted with Justice (Retired) Hasnain Masoodi MP as convener,” Tarigami said.
The other members include Raman Bala of Congress, Sheikh Abdul Rehman former MP, Rattan Lal Gupta of National Conference, Mehboob Beg of Peoples Democratic Party, A S Reen PDP, Gulchain Singh Charak president Dogra Sadar Sabha, Chowdhary Lal Singh of Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Party, Manish Sawhney Shiv Sena, Hari Singh CPI(M), G.M Mizrab CPI, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah of Awami National Conference, I D Khujuria of IDP and M Hussain of Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement.
A major political controversy had erupted after J&K Chief Electoral Officer while briefing the media about the summary revision of electoral rolls on September 5 said he expects an increase of around 25 lakh voters including the non-locals who ordinarily reside in Jammu and Kashmir.
The J&K government later issued a statement saying nothing of this sort is happening. However, the clarification from the government failed to end the controversy.
The likely inclusion of the “non local” voters have united the PAGD- the alliance which has been seeking the reversal of the abrogation of J&K’s special status, Congress and other parties. These parties have held two meetings in Srinagar and Jammu and they decided to put up a united front against the “inclusion of non-locals as voters’’ during the summary revision of electoral rolls.