New Delhi [India]: To facilitate Kashmiri migrants residing in Delhi casting their votes in person on the polling days during Lok Sabha elections on the seats across Jammu and Kashmir, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has established special polling booths for the community at different locations in the capital, the Department of Information and Public Relations, Jammu and Kashmir, said in an official statement on Wednesday.
These booths have been established at Kashmir Resident Commission, 5 PR Road, New Delhi, Kashmir Kissan Ghar, BR-2 Shalimar Bagh, Delhi, Arwachin International Public School, Pocket F Dilshad Garden, Delhi; and GGSSS Paprawat Najafgarh, Delhi.
“The Election Commission of India, in a first, has instructed for providing free of cost to and fro transportation facility for the Kashmiri Migrants eligible to cast their ballot in these special booths”, reads a communication received here today by the office of AERO/ARO, Migrants, New Delhi. The transport service will be provided to KMs from the camps to their respective polling stations and back to the camps.
With an aim to extend requisite support and help to the Kashmiri migrant voters, the office of AERO/ARO, Migrants, New Delhi, is efficiently functioning during the working hours at Pota Cabin 01 at JK House 5-Prithvi Raj Road, New Delhi. The office has also established a help desk which has supported numerous stakeholders to file offline/online Form-M, Form 12-C and other requisite documents, the release added.
Besides, a series of camps and meetings have been organized to raise mass awareness at various places to increase the percentage of Kashmiri migrant voters in the capital. The BLOs are also visiting door to door to educate and help the migrant voters. These camps, organized at various locations in Delhi and NCR, received tremendous response resulting in a notable increase in enrollment of voters through Form- M and Form 12-C, so far, as compared to the last parliamentary Lok Sabha election, it added.
As per the data given by the AERO/ARO office, about 169 voters have been registered besides receiving 65 Form M and 4 Form 12 C for the Baramulla PC, 480 voters have been registered besides receiving 183 Form-M and 8 Form 12-C for the Srinagar PC while 95 voters have been registered besides receiving 40 Form M for the Anantnag PC, till date, the release added.
“Kashmiri migrants are evincing keen interest to participate in the upcoming elections and it is expected that there shall be a high voter turnout during these Lok Sabha election,” It added.