Poll process simplified for Kashmiri migrants

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 12

In a major decision to facilitate voting by Kashmiri migrants in the ongoing general elections 2024, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has abolished the cumbersome procedure of filling Form M for the displaced people from the Kashmir valley who are residing in Jammu and Udhampur.

Additionally, for the migrants residing outside Jammu and Udhampur (who will continue to submit Form M), the ECI has authorised self-attestation of the certificate appended with Form M, thus removing the hassle of getting this certificate attested by a gazetted officer.

The decision was taken by the commission after a meeting today chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. Various representations were received from several Kashmiri migrant groups projecting the difficulties they face in filling of Form M in every election, which brings a lot of hassle to them in exercising their right to franchise.

They claimed before the poll body that Form M procedure subjects them to additional bureaucratic hurdles compared to other voters, and also the process of filling out Form M is often complex and cumbersome, requiring specific documentation, proof of migration status and attestation by a gazetted officer.

The Chief Electoral Officer, J&K, had also submitted his comments to the ECI on April 9 in consultation with political parties. The commission, after taking into consideration the representations received from several Kashmiri migrant groups regarding the scheme, feedback from the political parties and comments of the Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir, notified the scheme for Kashmiri migrants to vote in person at transitory camps and voting by means of postal ballot pertaining to the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

Subsequently, all the 22 special polling stations shall be mapped to camps or zones individually, ensuring that every zone has at least one special polling station.

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