New Delhi: Militant threat and Hurriyat's boycott call may have kept voters away
from Jammu and Kashmir elections, but the turnout of migrants, facing an uncertain
future, was also poor at two booths provided for them in Delhi.
Out of 55 Kashmiri migrants registered to vote in the two special polling stations,
only 14 exercised their franchise by the close of voting on September 16 evening.
Of the 48 registered with the Jammu and Kashmir House, only 14 voted and in Tis
Hazari Courts, another special polling station, which had seven voters, none turned
up, poll officials said.
Some of the voters had earlier complained that their names were not found in the
voters list.
In order to ensure that all the Kashmiri migrants were able to vote, the Commission
has drawn up a scheme enabling the migrants from the Valley to vote in person and
set up special polling stations in six places in Jammu, one in Udhampur and two in
Delhi.
A release from Displaced Kashmiri Pandit Forum said it decided to stay away from the
poll process as "election is in no way a solution to the problem of Kashmiri pandits
who are in exile for the last 13 years now".
"The Forum thanked the community members for not participating in the first phase of
polling and resolved that in the coming phases the community's response will be the
same," it said.
PTI
