GENERAL ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF J&K

SPECIAL POLLING STATIONS AND POSTAL BALLOTS FACILITY FOR MIGRANT VOTERS

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The Election Commission has decided that the Kashmiri migrant electors who are residing at various camps at Udhampur, Jammu and Delhi and nearby shall be given the opportunity to exercise their franchise in person, through Electronic Voting machines, to be installed at the polling stations being set up near the camps on the days of poll. Those, who would not be able to cast their votes in person, can opt to exercise their franchise through postal ballot papers under a special scheme for exercising their franchise through postal ballot as had been done during the last general elections to the House of the People held in 1998 and 1999 and to the State legislative Assembly in 1996. As has been done during the said last general elections in 1996, 1998 and 1999, an advertisement in all the leading News Papers in Delhi has to be issued regarding the special arrangements being made for polling stations and postal ballots for Kashmiri migrants who are residing in Delhi and Jammu. Accordingly, an advertisement is being published shortly in leading newspapers in Delhi.

The Elections will be held in 4 phases:-

		Date of Poll
First Phase	All assembly constituencies in the districts of Kupwara, Baramullah, Leh, Kargil and Rajouri	16.9.2002
Second Phase	All assembly constituencies in the districts of Srinagar, Badgam and Jammu	24.9.2002
Thirst Phase	All assembly constituencies in the districts of Pulwama, Anantnag, Kathua and Udhampur	1.10.2002
Four Phase	All assembly constituency in the districts of Doda	8.10.2002

The electoral rolls of all the 46 assembly constituencies in the Kashmir valley have been kept for inspection in the offices of the following Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, namely, (a) Secretary, Resident Commission, Jammu and Kashmir Government, Jammu and Kashmir House, 5-Prithiviraj Road, New Delhi, and (b) Assistant Commissioner, Office of the Relief Commissioner, Jammu. Elections for the first phase have already been notified and no applications for additions, corrections and deletions in the rolls can now be entertained.

However, for the Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Srinagar and Badgam going to the polls on the 24^th September, 2002, and for the Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Anantnag and Pulwama, going to the polls on 1^st October, 2002, the Kashmiri migrants, living in Jammu, Delhi or elsewhere, who wish to enroll themselves as electors or get their names corrected or any names deleted from the electoral rolls may apply in the prescribed form (Form 6, 8 and 8B respectively), so as to reach the above mentioned officers latest by 27^th August, 2002 and 4^th September 2002, respectively.

The Election Commission has worked out a scheme to enable the Kashmiri migrant electors, who are residing at various relief camps in Delhi, Jammu, Udhampur and nearby to cast their votes in person at the above general Election, at any one of the following polling stations:

JAMMU

Government Women’s college, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu

Directorate of Statistics and Evaluation, Janipur

Directorate of Education, Accountancy Training Institute, Muthi

Chanderbhaga Community Hall, Canal Road

Directorate of Rural Development Department & Horticulture Department, Talab Tillo

Government Higher Secondary School for Migrants, Nagrota

Government High School, Prakhoo

Government High School, Mishriwala

DELHI

Office of Secretary, Resident Commission, Jammu and Kashmir House, 5-Prithiviraj Road, New Delhi

Office of Additional D.M. (HQ), Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi

UDHAMPUR

High School, Battal Ballian, Udhampur

Those, who wish to exercise their franchise in person, should intimate details of the electors of their families to the Assistant Returning Officers mentioned below in prescribed form ‘M’. Option once given shall be final.

1. Secretary, Resident Commission, J&K Government, J&K House, 5 Prithviraj Road, New Delhi.
2. Assistant Commissioner, Office of the Relief Commissioner, Jammu.
3. Additional Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur.

All migrant voters (other than those who opt to vote in person) have the option to vote through postal ballot papers. They may apply for the postal ballot paper in the prescribed form 12C available in the offices of the Assistant returning Officers mentioned above.

All migrant voters are advised to send their forms (Form 12 C or Form ‘M’), duly filled in and attested, to the concerned Assistant Returning Officers so as to reach them on or before the 6^th September, 2002, for Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Kupwara and Baramula, 14^th Septmber, 2002, for the Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Srinagar and Badgam and 21^st septmber, 2002 for Assembly Constituencies in the districts of Pulwama and Anantnag.

To facilitate attestation of Forms ‘M’ and 12C, sufficient number of Gazetted offices will be available in the offices of the Assistant Returning Officers.

All migrant electors can post their application forms, and later on, their marked postal ballot papers in the special letter boxes, which will also be available at the offices of the Assistant Returning Officers.