The Election Commission of India (ECI) has established 24 polling stations to enable Kashmiri migrants to participate in the forthcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.
According to P.K. Pole, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of J&K, these polling stations will be distributed across Jammu, Udhampur, and New Delhi to accommodate Kashmiri migrants wishing to vote in the legislative assembly elections.
Pole announced that residents of Jammu and Udhampur who were displaced from the Kashmir Valley will not need to complete Form-M, a requirement that was in place during the Lok Sabha elections.
“Migrant voters residing in relief camps in Jammu, Udhampur, and Delhi who choose to vote in person using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will have access to 24 polling stations, with 19 located in Jammu, one in Udhampur, and four in Delhi,” the CEO explained.
He also noted that, continuing from the Lok Sabha elections, the previous requirement for migrants in Jammu and Udhampur to complete Form-M has been eliminated. Electors in relief zones will be assigned to their designated polling stations.
Draft electoral rolls, which will map migrant voters in various zones to their special polling stations in Jammu and Udhampur, will be published shortly. There will be a seven-day window for any necessary changes or updates to these rolls.
Once finalized, the electoral rolls will be made available for each polling station. Migrant voters can cast their ballots at these stations by presenting their Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or one of the 12 alternative photo ID documents approved by the ECI.
For migrants living outside Jammu and Udhampur, the process of certifying Form-M has been simplified to a self-certification rather than requiring attestation from a gazetted officer.
“Migrants outside Jammu and Udhampur who wish to vote in person need to provide their family electoral details to the designated election officials,” Pole added.
Additionally, those who prefer not to vote in person may opt for postal ballots.
The ECI has outlined a three-phase schedule for the assembly elections. The notification for the first phase has already been issued.
Voting for the first phase will occur on September 18, followed by the second phase on September 25 and the third phase on October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 4, with the entire election process concluding by October 6.
The Jammu and Kashmir assembly comprises 90 constituencies, with 47 in the Valley and 43 in the Jammu division. These include 74 general, nine Scheduled Tribe (ST), and seven Scheduled Caste (SC) constituencies.
Read also | BJP Leaders Honor Arun Jaitley on the 5th Anniversary of His Passing
Read also | RG Kar Tragedy: Rebel Trinamool MP Expresses Anguish with RK Laxman’s Cartoon
