24 spl polling stations set up
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Sept 17: Over 35,000 displaced Kashmiri Pandits from across the country are eligible to exercise their right to franchise at 24 special polling stations in the first phase of the three-phased Assembly elections in four districts of South Kashmir tomorrow.
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This has been the first Assembly election in last 35 years after the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits that the Election Commission of India (ECI) simplified the voting procedure for displaced people from Valley by removing the cumbersome process of M -Forms on the insistence of J&K BJP leadership to ensure the hassle free participation of displaced people in elections.
The displaced Kashmiri Pandits will exercise their right to franchise in 16 constituencies of South Kashmir’s Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam districts.
“As many as 35,500 Kashmiri migrant voters in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi are eligible to cast their votes at 24 special polling stations set up in their respective places tomorrow for the first phase of elections,” Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) Migrants, Deepak Kumar told Excelsior.
Out of 24 Special polling booths for displaced people from Valley, 19 alone have been established in Jammu district, one in Udhampur and four in Delhi, he said.
Kumar, said 34,852 displaced voters are registered in Jammu to exercise their right to franchise in 19 polling stations here.
Similarly, 648 such Kashmiri migrant voters are registered in Udhampur and Delhi to cast their votes at one polling station in Udhampur and four such polling stations in Delhi, he said.
Although the majority of Kashmiri Pandit population lives in Delhi, a miniscule number of around 600 have enrolled them for the elections.
“All arrangements have been made for free and fair polling tomorrow,” the Assistant Returning Officer Migrants said.
Security has been beefed up at all the polling stations and arrangements for elders, women and voters with disability have been put in place, he said.
“Kashmiri migrant voters opting to vote in person via Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will have access to 24 polling stations, including 19 in Jammu, one in Udhampur, and four in Delhi,” he said.
The authorities, amid tight security, handed over the polling materials, including EVMs, to polling parties at Women’s College in Jammu. The security forces and election parties are being deployed to their respective stations, the officials said.
At every polling station, total 16 polling booths have been set up for all 16 constituencies of South Kashmir going to polls tomorrow.
In Jammu, the special polling booths have been set up at Government College for Women Gandhi Nagar Jammu, IIM, Jammu, Canal road, North Zone Accountancy Training, Institute Muthi, Directorate of Economics and Statics, Janipur, Migrant School Purkhoo, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry complex Golepulli, Talab Tillo, Government Mixed Higher Secondary School, Muthi, Migrant School Nagrota Jammu, Government Higher Secondary School Jagti, Anuradha Higher Secondary School Barnai, Agriculture University Complex, Udheywala, J&K Board of School Education Rehari, Government Middle School Jagti, Kendriya Vidyalaya , Bantalab Jammu, Sant Mela Singh College of Education near Digiana Ashram, Sarvodya Public School, By Pass Santra Morh, Government Girls Higher Secondary School Miran Sahab, Birla Open Minds International School, Channi Himmat and NSM College Anand Nagar Bohri.
The lone polling booth for displaced people from Valley at Udhampur has been set up at Government ITI Udhampur while at Delhi four polling stations were established at J&K House 5, Prithviraj Road, New Delhi, Office of Deputy Director Horticulture Planning and Marketing, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi, Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Paprawat, New Delhi and Arwacin International School, F Block Dilshad Garden Delhi.
There are six candidates from the community contesting in the first phase of elections.
BJP’s Vir Saraf and Apni Party’s Mahraj Krishan Yogi are contesting from Shangus seat, Sanjay Saraf is in the fray from the Anantnag seat as a Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJSP) candidate. Dileep Pandita, an Independent is also in the race from the Shangus-Anantnag seat. Rosy Raina and Arun Raina are contesting as the Republic Party of India and NCP candidates from the Rajpora and Pulwama seats respectively.
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