Over 2 million new voters to be enrolled in J&K

The Muslim-majority region is claimed in full, but is ruled in part by nuclear archrivals India and Pakistan, who have fought two wars over control of the territory.

India stripped semi-autonomy from its part of the region in 2019 and changed the Indian constitution to allow non-Kashmiris to vote and own land there.

More than 2 million new voters are expected to be enrolled in the region ahead of local elections in November, according to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Election Officer Hirdesh Kumar. The voter count could be increased by more than a third, adding to the existing 7.6 million voters in the region.

Kumar said that 2 to 2.5 million new voters are expected to be added to the final list, including non-Kashmiris living in the region.

Kashmiris fear that rule changes will allow the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change the demographics of the region, a key factor in a decades-long independence movement. The BJP says its policies are for the benefit of ordinary Kashmiris. The move has been criticized by the main political parties in Kashmir. The former chief minister and J&K Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti said it was aimed at influencing the election results. Non-locals are able to influence election results by allowing them to vote. She said that the real aim is to continue ruling J&K with an iron fist to dispower locals. A second former chief minister, Omar Abdullah of the rival Jammu Kashmir National Conference, was critical of the decision. Why is the BJP so insecure about the support of genuine voters of J&K that it needs to import temporary voters to win seats? He tweeted.