EC tweaks rule, makes it easier for Kashmiri migrants to vote

NEW DELHI: Kashmiri migrant voters based in Jammu and Udhampur districts of J&K would no longer be required to fill up ‘Form M’ to vote in the Lok Sabha polls with the Election Commission ordering changes to the existing voting scheme for displaced people, fulfilling their long-standing demand.

Earlier, the filling of ‘Form M’ was mandatory for displaced voters from the Valley ahead of every Parliamentary and assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.

As for the migrants residing outside Jammu and Udhampur, they would continue to be required to submit ‘Form M’ but can now self-attest the certificate to be appended to the form. Earlier, this certificate was required to be attested by a gazetted officer.

The two decisions – aimed at facilitating voting by Kashmiri migrants displaced from the Valley – were taken by EC at its full commission meeting on Friday. Prior to this, the J&K chief electoral officer has submitted his comments on the issue – raised in various representations received from Kashmiri migrant groups, projecting the difficulties they face in filling ‘Form M’ in every election – after due consultation and in full agreement with the political parties.

According to the new arrangement announced by the EC on Thursday, the Kashmiri migrant electors in various camps or zones at Jammu and Udhampur, instead of having to fill ‘Form M’, shall be mapped with the special polling stations falling in the zones they are registered or residing in, the poll panel said.

‘Form M’ procedure subjects Kashmiri migrant voters to additional bureaucratic hurdles compared to other voters, with the process of filling up the form itself considered complex and cumbersome, requiring specific documentation, proof of migration and attestation by a gazetted officer, said EC.

The Lok Sabha polls in the Union territory will be held in the first five phases on April 19 (Udhampur) and April 26 (Jammu), May 7 (Anantnag-Rajouri), May 13 (Srinagar) and May 20 (Baramulla). The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

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