Dawn of a new era: WPRs, Valmikis to vote in assembly polls for the first time in 70 years tomorrow

‘Historic day for community of 1.5 lakh voters’: Labha Ram Gandhi; ‘Hard to put emotions into words’: Gharu Bhatti

Jammu, September 29: The final phase of the current assembly elections, on October 1, will mark a historic moment for marginalized communities in Jammu and Kashmir, including West Pakistan Refugees (WPRs), Valmikis, and Gorkhas, as they join the electoral process for the formation of a new legislative assembly in the Union Territory.
For the past seven decades, these communities were excluded from participating in the electoral process for the constitution of an elected Legislative Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir as they were not recognized citizens of the erstwhile state due to discriminatory provisions of Article 370 and Article 35-A.
“It’s a historic day for West Pakistan Refugees as they will exercise their right to franchise in the assembly polls for the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. Although we have participated in parliamentary elections, we were denied this privilege in assembly elections because we were not considered citizens of Jammu and Kashmir,” the 63-year-old Labha Ram Gandhi, president of the West Pak Refugees Action Committee told The News Now.
He said that the West Pakistan Refugee community comprises nearly 1,50,000 voters who will play a decisive role in the Assembly elections, particularly in support of the BJP, which abrogated Article 370 and Article 35-A, enabling their participation in the electoral process for the legislative assembly.
Pertinently, the WPRs comprise members of Hindu and Sikh communities, who had migrated from erstwhile West Punjab (now Pakistan) after partition in 1947. They settled mainly in border areas of Jammu and while they participated in the parliamentary polls, the refugees had till now never voted for any assembly elections in the erstwhile state as they were not considered state subjects.
He said the West Pakistan refugees, with around 23,000 families, have settled along the International Border, starting from KeerianGandyal in Kathua district to Pallanwala and Chhamb in Akhnoor, as well as various parts of Jammu district. “There are certain constituencies where the number of votes from the community ranges from 7,000 to 8,000. We will be the deciding factor in these constituencies. Our voters are over-enthusiastic and will turn out in large numbers in support of the BJP,” Gandhi said.
The senior refugee leader said that the successive Kashmir-centric governments in Jammu and Kashmir had treated them as “second-class citizens” until the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019, which granted them equal rights.
“From June 2020 onwards, we received domicile certificates that enable us to vote in these assembly elections. This is a historic occasion for us as after almost seven decades we can now vote for MLAs of our choice. Our dream of the past seven decades has come true,” he said.
Gharu Bhatti, president of the All J&K Valmiki Samaj, echoed similar sentiments saying, “we can’t put our emotions into words. Some members of our community, in their eighties, will be voting for the first time in history. We were brought to Jammu and Kashmir nearly seventy years ago, yet we were denied the right to participate in assembly elections”.
Bhatti said the Valmiki community has nearly 6,500 voters across different parts of Jammu district. “The Valmiki Colony, which is part of the Bahu constituency, has nearly 1,950 voters. This is for the first time we have seen candidates from different parties canvassing in our neighborhoods,” he said, adding “Earlier, no one even acknowledged our existence.”
“Today, we feel part of mainstream society. While other parties also campaigned here, our votes will go to the BJP, which has ended the discrimination we faced for decades. We are highly indebted to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has brought an end to our virtual slavery,” said Bhatti.
A total of 40 assembly constituencies—16 of Kashmir Valley and 24 in the Jammu region--will go to polls in the final voting phase on October 1. In the Jammu region, there are 11 assembly constituencies in Jammu district, three in Samba, six in Kathua, and four in Udhampur districts. Most of these urban and semi-urban constituencies are considered strongholds of the BJP where the party has high stakes.

Updated On 9/30/2024 2:07:47 AM