No ‘Form M’ for Kashmiri migrants in Jammu, Udhampur

Kashmiri migrants from Jammu and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir would no longer be required to fill up ‘Form M’ to vote in the Lok Sabha polls as the Election Commission has ordered changes to the existing voting scheme for the displaced people, fulfilling a long-standing demand.

Earlier, the filing of the form was mandatory for displaced voters from the Valley ahead of every parliamentary and Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the new arrangement announced by the EC on Thursday, the Kashmiri Migrant electors in various camps or zones at Jammu and Udhampur shall no longer need to fill ‘Form M’. Instead, they shall be mapped with the special polling stations falling in the zones they are registered or residing in, the poll panel said.

In addition, the commission also eased the process of filing Form M by the migrants staying in Delhi and other places in the country, by allowing self-attestation instead of the earlier required certification by Gazetted officers.

However, to avoid impersonation at the special polling stations, the voters will have to carry either voter I card or any of the alternate documents prescribed by the Commission for the identification of electors.

“There is no change in the postal ballot facility and the same continues to be as notified earlier. They have to fill out Form 12 C to seek a postal ballot. Form 12 C can be filled by any migrant, no matter where he is residing – at Jammu, Udhampur or Delhi, Mumbai, Noida,” an official press release said.

The decision was taken by the commission after a meeting on Friday chaired by CEC Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.

The Lok Sabha polls in the Union Territory will be held in the first five phases on April 19 (Udhampur) and April 26 (Jammu), May 7 (Anantnag-Rajouri), May 13 (Srinagar) and May 20 (Baramulla).

The counting of votes will be held on June 4.