A number of migrant Kashmiri Pandits were unable to cast their ballots during the Lok Sabha elections’ second phase, as their names were missing on the electoral rolls kept at the special polling booths established in Jammu for the Srinagar constituency, reports The New Indian Express.
Angered by their franchise being denied, they chanted slogans at some of the polling stations targeting the Election Commission and authorities.
"We came to the polling station to cast our vote but found our names missing from the electoral roll. It is a denial of our right to vote," said Radha Krishen Bhat, who is a migrant Pandit originally from Chadoora in Srinagar.
Bhat claimed that four individuals from his family weren’t allowed to vote; he said that there was a conspiracy to prevent Pandits from voting.
Many other Pandit families were similarly left disappointed at different polling booths.
Local leader from the community, Rajiv Pandit, called for the Election Commission to necessary action to prevent such situations.
"The Election Commission should automatically transfer votes of all displaced Kashmiri Pandits to the polling stations set up for them in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi,” he said.
It is estimated that out of the 4,720 eligible voters from the community, only 2,100 were able to finally cast their votes.
Tags: Voting, Kashmiri Pandits, Names, J&K, Lok Sabha Elections 2019, Electoral Rolls, Polling Booths, srinagar constituency, |
