Struggling for their rights for past more than 65 years, West Pakistan refugees have once again been denied the right to vote in the Assembly elections.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Election Commission of India has issued directions that no non-State subject would be enrolled as voter in the State Assembly elections, which were going to be held in November-December this year.
The West Pakistani refugees are entitled to contest and vote for Parliamentary elections but not the Assembly elections.
Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Government has promised to address the issues of West Pakistan refugees, they would be unable to vote in the Assembly elections as they wouldn’t be enrolled as the voters, at least in the upcoming election.
Meanwhile, four Assembly seats have now fallen vacant with the death of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Choudhary Aslam, who represented Surankote constituency in the Lower House.
Three Assembly seats had recently fallen vacant with the resignations of Leader of Opposition Mehbooba Mufti, who represents Wachi constituency, her party colleague and former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig (Baramulla) and Jugal Kishore Sharma, BJP state chief (Nagrota).
All three had been elected to Lok Sabha in April-May elections.
In the House of 87, four seats were now vacant but the Election Commission sources ruled out by-election for these seats as the Assembly elections were due in less than six months.
Under the Election Commission guidelines, if the Assembly elections were due in six months, the vacancies wouldn’t be filled through by-election.
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