Booth clubbing to hit turnout: PDP to EC

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 27

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a serious note of the proposed clubbing and shifting of polling stations, saying it was a deliberate attempt to cause a low voter turnout in the Valley.

PDP general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura has shot a letter to the J&K Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) over the issue and demanded a polling station for every locality.

“It is our impression that shifting of polling stations is being done on a large scale. The reason given for this is to ensure safety. We appreciate this. But in doing so, the interest of voters has not been kept in mind. They have to travel long distances to cast their vote and in some cases it is as distant as 2 km. In a political and hostile environment, this exposes the voter to larger risks and threats than what they would normally face,” the letter read. A copy of the letter has been sent to the Chief Election Commissioner.

“By inference, we can safely say that in the attempt to make polling stations safe, the administration has made voters more insecure. This, in the current scenario of Kashmir, is by itself enough to force a boycott and we cannot help but consider this as a deliberate attempt to ensure low voting percentage,” he added.