Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 2: Total 26 polling booths will be established for over 92,000 Kashmiri Pandit voters in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi to exercise their right to franchise in the Assembly polls starting from November 25.
“The Election Commission (EC) will set-up 26 special polling stations for Kashmiri Pandit migrant voters, who are eligible to vote for all 44 Assembly constituencies across Kashmir region,” Sachin Dev Singh, Assistant Returning Officer (Migrants), Jammu told reporters here this afternoon.
He said Kashmiri Pandit voters from 44 Assembly segments of Kashmir region staying outside the Valley can cast their votes in 26 polling booths to be set up in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi.
Out of the 26 polling booths 21 will be in Jammu district where the number of migrants is large, one in Udhampur and four in NCR Delhi, he added.
“Earlier in Lok Sabha Polls, 18 polling booths were set up but the number this time has increased and 26 stations will be established in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi,” said Mr Singh.
“The process of filling Form-M and Form- 12 (for postal ballot), will simultaneously start at all designated 26 polling stations and will continue till November 9 for the constituencies of Kashmir which will go for polls in first two phases on November 25 and December 2,” the ARO added.
He, however, urged all Kashmiri migrant voters to visit their nearest special polling station and fill the forms whichever applicable.
The number of Kashmiri voters has increased by over four thousand since the Lok Sabha elections in April this year when the total number of migrant voters was 88,000. This number has increased to over 92,000 by now and is likely to increase more as Election Commission has given the directives to State Election authorities to continue the enrolment of migrant voters for some days more, said Mr Rajnesh ERO Migrants.
It may be recalled the Habba Kadal Assembly segment in Srinagar district of Central Kashmir has highest number of Pandit voters, followed by Amira Kadal, Bijebehara and Anantnag Assembly segments in South Kashmir district of Anantnag.
ARO said migrants who wish to cast their vote shall have to fill form -M and give choice of polling station at which they wish to cast their vote.
He said the Kashmiri Migrant Voters can get the M- Form at Jagti from Nov 2 2014 to Nov 9 2014, Zonal Office Nanak Nagar, Near Dudha Dhari Mandir, Opposite Bata Showroom Last Morh Gandhi Nagar from Nov 2 , 2014 to Nov 9, Office of Camp Commandant Muthi from Nov 2, 2014 to Nov 9, Zonal Office, Janipur-A , Near Dream Land Public School, Janipur(Disco Morh) from Jammu Nov 2, 2014 to Nov 9 and Shanker Building near Pencil Factory, Akhnoor Road, Jammu from Jammu Nov 2, 2014 to Nov 9.
A team of Booth Level Officers (BLO)s along with Zonal Officer / Camp Commandants and other staff shall be stationed at all these places from 9 am to 5 am during these days to assisting the Voters to in filling, verifying, and attestation of Form-M so that they may not face any inconvenience, he added.
He said the Form -M would be provided at these locations on the scheduled dates only to the voters of those constituencies which are going to polls in first and second phase i.e. 2- Kupwara, 3 Lolab, 4, Handwara, 5-Langate, 10 Bandipura, 11 Sonwari, 16 Kangan, 17 -Ganderbal, 37 Noorabad, 38 Kulgam, 39, Homeshallibugh, 41 Devsar can avail the forms at these places.
Only registered Migrant voters are eligible to fill the Form -M and vote at Special Polling booths, he added.
Mr Singh however said the Kashmiri Migrant Voters who wish to cast their vote through postal Ballot may apply in Form 12-C and submit in the office of ARO(Migrants) Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi so that the postal Ballots are dispatched to their Home Addresses.
As also the Inclusions/ corrections shall be made upto last date of nomination for a constituency concerned and therefore migrants can fill form 6,7,8 &8-A, if their name is missing from the electoral roll, he added.
He said the special polling stations for migrants of Jammu district would be established at 1-Women’s College, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu, Government Engineering College Canal Road Jammu 3Director School Education Office Muthi, Jammu 4 Directorate of Economics and Statistics Deptt, Janipur Jammu 5 Migrant School Purkhoo, Jammu 6 Agriculture Complex Talab Tillo Jammu 7 Migrant School Roop Nagar Jammu 8 Migrant School Nagrota Jammu, 9 Govt HSS Migrant Jagti Jammu-A 10 Govt HSS Migrant Jammu- B 11 Panchayat Ghar, Barnai Jammu 12 Agriculture University Complex, Udhaiawala, Jammu 13 J&K Board of School Education Rehari Jammu, 14 Govt Middle School (Migrants) Jagti, 15 Community Hall Jagti , 16 Govt Girls Middle School Chak Chanherwan, Chinore Chowk Jammu, 17-Govt Girls Pry School (Gangyal), 18-Govt Boys Hr. Sec School Ponichack, 19- Govt Boys. Sec. School Sarwal, 20-Govt High School (Sagoon ) Miran Sahib and 21- Govt. Hr. Sec. School Channi.
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