Several migrant Kashmiri Pandits could not exercise their franchise as their names were found missing from the electoral roll at the special polling stations set up for Srinagar constituency in Jammu during the second phase of LokSabha elections on Thursday.
Miffed at it, they raised slogans against the administrationand the Election Commission at several polling stations.
“We came to the polling station to cast our vote butfound our names missing from the electoral roll. It is a denial of our right tovote,” said RadhaKrishenBhat, a migrant Kashmiri Pandit from the Chadoorasegment of Srinagar LokSabha constituency.
Bhat said four members of his family could not vote andalleged that there was a conspiracy to deny the migrants their right.
Similarly, MintooMawa and four of his family members, whohail from Amira Kadal segment, had to return without exercising theirfranchise.
“Why have we been denied the right to vote? I hadsubmitted the required Form-M to Sarwalcamp commandant. The Election Commission should order a probe into it,” Mawasaid.
Another migrant Kashmiri Pandit, Saroop Chand, who had goneto cast his vote with five of his family members, met the similar fate.
Flaying the authorities, local leader Rajiv Pandit said,”The Election Commission should automatically transfer votes of all displacedKashmiri Pandits to the polling stations set up for them in Jammu, Udhampur andDelhi.”
PankajAnand, Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), Migrants,admitted there were problems while preparing the electoral roll.
“There are only a few such cases due to wrong fillingof Form-M. Some of these forms did not have names of polling stations. Somenames did not match with the records,” he said. He, however, said that of the4,720 migrant voters, 2,100 voted in the elections.
Meanwhile, long queues were seen at Jagti, Muthi, Udhywalaand TalabTilloo polling stations. As many as 21 polling stations were set upfor the voters.
The migrants, who exercised their franchise, urged thegovernment to make efforts for their rehabilitation in the Valley besidesensuring dignity and security for them.
“We have seen promises regarding our return to theValley on paper only. We urge Prime Minister NarendraModi to fulfil his promisemade during the 2014 LokSabha elections,” VishaliPandita, a 26-year-old migrantKashmiri Pandit, said.
Like her, Naveen Bhat, who came all the way from New Delhi to vote in the elections, hoped there will be improvement in employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir.