Enhanced Voting Provisions for Kashmiri Migrants in Upcoming Assembly Polls

The Chief Election Commissioner announced that the simplified voting process for Kashmiri migrants, introduced during the recent Lok Sabha polls, will continue for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The modifications, including relaxation of Form M and self-attestation, aim to encourage higher voter participation in the upcoming three-phase elections starting on September 18.

The ease of voting for Kashmiri migrants introduced during the recent Lok Sabha polls will remain for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar announced on Friday.

He praised the democratic spirit of the region's people, highlighting special arrangements made for Kashmiri migrants during the Lok Sabha polls. Those relaxations will be continued.

"For Kashmiri migrants, special arrangements were made. We simplified the process, we relaxed Form M and replaced some cumbersome authorisation processes with self-attestation," said CEC Kumar at the press conference announced the assembly elections.

"We got positive results, and the migrants participated," he added.

Kumar noted that more than 58 percent voter turnout in the Lok Sabha polls was a testament to Jammu and Kashmir's democratic enthusiasm.

"Long queues at polling booths showcased democracy's power. People wanted to vote and demonstrate a strong desire for democracy to thrive here," he said.

"The people of Jammu and Kashmir chose the ballot instead of bullets and boycotts," he added.

No incidents of re-polling were reported, and about Rs 100 crore was seized, Kumar pointed out.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, the Election Commission addressed the needs of Kashmiri migrants by removing the requirement for Form M in Jammu and Udhampur districts. Displaced voters are now mapped to special polling stations in their respective zones.

Previously, filling the form was mandatory for displaced voters in every parliamentary and Assembly election.

Changes simplified form-filling for Kashmiri migrants in Delhi and other regions by allowing self-attestation instead of certification by gazetted officers.

The upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election, to be held in three phases starting September 18, will be the first since the 2019 scrapping of Article 370.

(With inputs from agencies.)