Fact check: Is a Non-Local Contesting Lok Sabha Polls for the First Time

There are many claims about the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir. One is that it is the first time that a candidate from outside of Jammu and Kashmir is running for office in that area.

A lot of news outlets reported on the story, and a lot of them said it was because Article 370 was thrown out, which let people from outside the area run for Lok Sabha.

Baldev Kumar, who lives in Punjab, is said to be the first person from outside of Jammu and Kashmir to run for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

But after checking with other sources, The Kashmiriyat found that the claims that were going around are not true.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Shams Khwaja, who lived in Delhi, filed his nomination papers from the Anantnag district. This was done a few months before Article 370 was lifted in August 2019.

Experts told The Kashmiriyat that there were no rules against people who did not live in Jammu and Kashmir running for Lok Sabha places. But only people who used to be state subjects could vote in assembly elections.

Khwaja, a law graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia, had problems with his bid, but the election officials ignored them. This made him the first person who didn’t live in Jammu and Kashmir to run for office there.

The green chili that he used as an election sign caused a lot of trouble. With 760 votes, he won.