Uttarakhand’s demography under threat. While during last decade HP saw 20% outsiders added to its voters list, Uttarakhand saw 30% outsiders added to its electoral lists !

Himachal Pradesh, a hilly state like Uttarakhand is going to polls and in a population of nearly seven crores, four lakhs – about 47 to 55 lakhs more electorates will vote in this elections compared to the previous assembly elections. Sounds interesting and rather shocking that while during the last decade from 2012 to 2022 about 20% electorates have increased in HP – in Uttarakhand the increased voters number have been comparatively very high i. e. (30%). This was revealed by an enlightened activist and chairman of SDC Anoop Nautiyal. In his tweet in Hindi Nautiyal said : The government of Uttarakhand and the society need to be aware of the different aspects of the fastly changing demography. Compare that while Himachal Pradesh has, during the last decade from 2012 to 2022 added about 46 lakh to 55 lakh voters in the state that amounts to 20% increase whereas Uttarakhand has added thirty percent electorates ( 19 lakh voters) from 64 lakhs to 83 lakhs tweeted Anoop Nautiyal.

Kindly recall that Himachal Pradesh came into existence on 25 th January 1971 by an act of parliament as the eighteenth state of the country. However, despite the state of HP coming into existence 51 years ago and Uttarakhand merely 22 years old the demography of the later is increasingly being affected while Himachal Pradesh has comparatively less number of voters being added in its kitty. This unambiguously speaks of the state of Himachal Pradesh being well guarded due to its strong land acts prohibiting outsiders entering the state with ulterior motives like making it a haven for criminal activities or buying excessive lands etc. The spate of development in the state in terms of agricultural development, people friendly policies, maximum encouragement to fruti culture and horticulture, including opening of maximum avenues for jobs in govt n private sectors, conducive tourism sector, spiritual as well as all forms of tourism etc are some of the main reasons discouraging exodus of the local populace out of the villages to cities in HP whereas in Uttarakhand the weak land laws inviting outsiders to buy as much of land they can and flexible laws with little or no screening of outsiders coming in the state and getting stagnated thereafter due to good prospects, good people, making it a haven for criminals n imposters thus compelling its own inhabitants with no jobs in govt or private sector, lack of medical facilities, good education – to go out of villages to cities, towns n metropolises in large numbers with outer population coming in thus destroying the demography of the state. The maximum settling of the outside population is, from nearby districts of Uttar Pradesh and the areas adjoining state boundary. There are also reports of fast enrolment of outside voters in the electoral lists and arbitrary construction of religious structures etc. Uttarakhand being a sensitive state with its borders with China the moving out of the village population especially in sensitive border areas is a matter of serious concern say analysts.

In addition, due to the increase in population of outsiders n those moving in plain areas from villages in search of job avenues, the assembly seats of the plains are also enhancing and the lawmakers in the rural areas of Uttarakhand are considerably decreasing. This is indeed a highly worrisome situation.