Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 9: Though Srinagar constituency witnessed a low turnout of votes following the boycott call by separatists coupled with the violent incidents at various places in the constituency on polling day today, the turn out of Kashmiri migrants during the polling at various polling stations established in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi was also very low.
According to figures available only 2.52 percent migrant voters exercised their right to franchise for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency today. Out of total number of 38,278 migrant electorates in the Constituency only 970 Kashmiri migrants turned up to cast their votes at 23 special polling stations set up at Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi.
It may be recalled that 2192 migrants had filled up their M Forms to cast their votes for Srinagar Parliamentary constituency while others did not evince interest in casting their votes owing to cumbersome procedure.
As per the official figures out of 19 polling stations in Jammu, 912 Kashmiri migrants exercised their right to franchise while 22 migrants cast their votes at three special polling stations at Delhi and 36 at one polling station at Udhampur in Jammu Division.
According to ARO Migrants Zafar Ahmed Bandy, highest number of votes were polled by Kashmiri migrants at Higher Secondary School Jagti A where 201 voters exercised their right to franchise. This was followed by Government Girls Middle School Chinore where 150 Kashmiri migrants turned up to cast their votes.
He said lowest number of votes were polled at Government Higher Secondary School Channi where only two votes were polled. Giving further details, Bandey said 88 votes were polled at Higher Secondary School Jagti B, 70 at Directorate of School Education Muthi, 78 at Directorate of Economics and Statistics Janipur and 31 each at Agriculture Complex Talab Tillo and Migrant School Roop Nagar.
He said 33 votes were polled at Migrant School Nagrota, 26 at Panchayat Ghar Barnai, 29 at Agriculture Complex Udaywala, 19 at J K Board Rehari, 63 at Government Middle School Jagti, three at Community Hall Jagti, eight at Government Girls Primary School Gangyal and three at Government Girls Primary School Pouni Chak.
At one polling station which was set up at Udhampur 36 migrants turned up to cast their votes out of 60 who had filled up their M Forms showing willingness to cast their vote at Udhampur as stated by an official spokesman.
For three polling stations established at Delhi five votes were polled at BDO Office Najafgarh, six were cast at Arvach Primary School Dilshad Garden and 11 votes were polled at J K House Prithviraj Road. This was stated by Surinder Kumar Fotedar ARO Migrants Delhi.
Meanwhile, NC Minority Cell president M K Yogi and Ajay Bhat a representative of relief holders termed the cumbersome process of filling up of M Forms as the main cause of low turnout of migrant votes. They said that despite repeated pleas to the Election authorities to do away with this exhaustive and cumbersome process they failed to take a decision with the result the displaced people have lost interest in the election process.
Yogi said that even the names of migrants were missing in voter lists who had filled up the M Forms also while Ajay Bhat accused the authorities of cheating migrants saying earlier they were told that M Forms filled up during last elections will be considered this time also due to which majority of migrants of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency were of the impression that they were not required to fill up the forms but later their votes were not found in the voter lists which resulted in low turnout today.
Pradesh Congress Migrant Cell has also accused the Government of deliberately creating problems for the migrants in casting their vote freely. The convener of the Cell Ghulam Qadir Bhat said that the party despite repeated pleas were not given the voter lists up to eleventh hour.
He said even the political parties were not issued the voter lists for Anantnag constituency till this evening when the polling date is only three days away. This is being done deliberately to discourage the opposition, he added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel