Members of Valmiki Community Vote for First Time in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu: After being denied the right to vote for decades, the members of the Valmiki community voted for the first time in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Tuesday.

The Valmikis, originally from Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, were brought to Jammu and Kashmir in 1957 by the government for sanitation work.

The Valmikis along with West Pakistan refugees and Gurkha communities comprise around 1.5 lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir and are settled in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua districts of border border areas.

Due to lack of a state subject certificate, around 12,000 members of the Valmiki community residing in Gandhi Nagar and Dogra Hall areas were earlier barred from voting rights, job opportunities, and land ownership.

With the abrogation of Article 370, members of the Valmiki community, West Pakistan refugees, and Gurkha communities have gained their constitutional right to vote. Now they can buy land, apply for jobs, and participate in elections in J&K.

They feel, their voting right will pave the way for their better housing, education, and employment opportunities.