Polling marred as names go missing yet again

QUOTE: “Despite filling the M-Forms, My family and I was not allowed to vote as our names were missing from the lists. Later, the polling officials asked the security men to escort us away from the booth. The entire election process is just a cruel joke on us.”

- Radha Kishen Bhat, migrant voter

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 18

Despite going through the cumbersome process of filling the mandatory M-Forms, a large number of migrant voters had to return dejected from the polling booths as their names were missing from lists.

Many such voters protested against the error in the electoral rolls at several polling stations.

Of the total 4,790 voters cleared by the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K, for the Srinagar constituency, 2,788 exercised their franchise. The total polling percentage stood at 58.

At most of the special polling stations established by the Election Commission of India in Jammu, a large number of displaced Kashmiri Hindus, living in camps since their exodus from the Valley in 1990, complained of not finding their names in the voters’ list and returning without exercising their right to franchise.

At the Udheywala polling station, Radha Kishen Bhat, originally from Chadora village in Budgam district of Kashmir, and four of his family members were not allowed to vote.

“Despite filling the M-Forms, we didn’t find our names in the lists. Later, the polling officials asked the security men to escort us away from the booth. The entire election process is just a cruel joke on us,” Bhat said.

Another voter Mintoo Mawa, originally from the Amira Kadal locality of Srinagar and now living in Jammu, too was not allowed to cast his vote along with four members of his family.

“We had filled the M-Forms at the Sarwal-4 zonal office. We checked the list but our names were missing. I had completed all formalities. Four votes of our family were again rejected. It has happened with a large number of people,” Mawa said.

A similar situation was witnessed at other polling stations, including those at Jagti and Muthi.