Ease of Voting for Migrants: 24 Special Polling Stations Set Up in Jammu, Udhampur, and New Delhi
Jammu, Aug 23: Voting process for Kashmiri migrants, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the establishment of 24 special polling stations in Jammu, Udhampur, and New Delhi ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024.
In a key decision, the ECI has done away with the requirement of filling Form-M for migrants residing in Jammu and Udhampur, easing their path to the ballot box. Meanwhile, migrants living outside these regions who still need to submit Form-M can now self-attest the required certificate, removing the previous necessity of Gazetted Officer attestation.
According to a statement from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir, these changes are designed to facilitate smoother and more accessible voting for Kashmiri migrants. The designated polling stations include 19 in Jammu, 1 in Udhampur, and 4 in New Delhi.
The polling stations in Jammu are spread across various educational institutions and government facilities, such as the Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, and the Indian Institute of Management, Jammu. A single station has been established at Government ITI in Udhampur, while New Delhi’s special polling booths are located at sites including J&K House, Prithviraj Road, and Arwachin International School, Dilshad Garden.
This initiative continues the reforms introduced during the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, which significantly reduced the bureaucratic hurdles faced by migrant voters. Migrants opting to vote in person can do so at their designated stations, with their details mapped to these locations by the respective AERO Migrants in Jammu and Udhampur.
For migrants residing outside Jammu and Udhampur, the new self-attestation rule for Form-M streamlines the voting process further. These voters are required to submit their forms to the Assistant Commissioner, Relief (Migrant), Jammu, or the relevant authorities in Udhampur and Delhi.
The ECI has also confirmed that migrant voters not wishing to vote in person can apply for postal ballots through Form 12C, available at the offices of Assistant Returning Officers. The necessary forms can also be downloaded from the ECI website.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024 will be conducted in three phases, covering all 90 constituencies, including 47 in the Kashmir region. The first phase of voting is set to begin on September 18.
These measures by the ECI are expected to ensure greater participation of Kashmiri migrants in the democratic process, allowing their voices to be effectively represented in the upcoming elections.
