For the first time in history, members of the Valmiki community, West Pakistani refugees, and the Gorkha community exercised their voting rights in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections of 2024, marking a “historic moment” for these groups. Previously denied the right to vote in state elections, over 1.5 lakh people from these communities across the Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts are now participating in the democratic process.
West Pakistani refugees, mostly Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India in 1947, were earlier only permitted to vote in Lok Sabha elections. However, the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 opened the door for them to take part in local electoral processes as well.
The Valmikis, who were brought to Jammu and Kashmir in 1957 from Punjab for sanitation work under a state government initiative, are also voting in assembly elections for the first time.
“This is like a festival for us,” said 45-year-old Gharu Bhati, who cast his vote at a polling station in Jammu. Bhati, who has led a 15-year fight for citizenship rights for his community, expressed pride in witnessing voters from ages 18 to 80 at the polls. He reflected on how two generations of Valmikis were denied this right.
The Gorkha community in Jammu’s Gorkha Nagar, descended from Nepalese migrants who served in the Dogra Army, also shared in the excitement as they participated in the assembly election for the first time. Many of their families have war veterans among them.
The 2020 District Development Council (DDC) elections marked the first time Valmikis, West Pakistani refugees, and Gorkhas were allowed to vote. The abrogation of Article 370 has also allowed these communities to buy land, apply for jobs, and explore new livelihoods in the region.
“This is the beginning of a new era for us,” Bhati said. “We will bring our issues to the assembly, and our community, which once saw scavenging as their only fate, can now aspire to be MLAs or even ministers.”
