The 90 constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls in three phases starting September 18. The counting of votes will take place on October 4 | (Photo: PTI)
The Election Commission (EC) has set up 24 special polling stations in Jammu, Udhampur and New Delhi to facilitate voting of Kashmiri migrants in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections, a senior official said.
People displaced from the Kashmir Valley and residing in Jammu and Udhampur will not be required to fill the M-Form as was the case in the Lok Sabha elections, Pandurang K Pole, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Jammu and Kashmir, said in a statement issued on Friday.
“Kashmir migrant voters staying in various relief camps in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi who have opted to cast their votes in person through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the elections can do so at 24 polling stations — 19 in Jammu, 1 in Udhampur and 4 in Delhi,” he said.
“Following the historic decision taken by the ECI during the Lok Sabha elections, the earlier requirement for migrant voters in Jammu and Udhampur to fill Form-M has been scrapped,” he said.
Voters residing in certain zones and camps will be mapped to their respective polling stations in Jammu and Udhampur, the CEO added.
The draft roll extracts, which map migrant voters residing in different zones in Jammu and Udhampur to their respective special polling stations, will be published soon. Any additions, deletions or corrections will be allowed for a period of seven days, Pole said.
After this, the final photo voter register extracts for each polling station will be published. Based on this, migrant voters will be allowed to vote at these special polling stations just like any other voters. To do so, they will have to show their election photo identity card (EPIC) or one of the twelve alternative photo identity documents announced by the EC, he said.
Migrants living outside Jammu and Udhampur can now fill the M-Form themselves, instead of having to get it legalised by an official or other authorities, Pole said.
“Voters required to fill Form M, who reside outside Jammu and Udhampur and wish to exercise their franchise in person, should furnish the details of their family members to the designated election officials,” he said.
In addition, all migrant voters who did not vote in person have the option to vote by mail, he said.
The 90 constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls in three phases starting September 18. The counting of votes will take place on October 4.
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First publication: Aug 24, 2024 | 1:01 PM IST