After National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now displaced migrant community too has made up its mind to boycott the upcoming civic and Panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to prominent Kashmiri pandit leaders the decision was taken after names of around 1 lakh voters,residing in Jammu, were found missing in the freshly prepared voters list for municipal polls in the State.
Various Kashmiri pandit leaders and organisations have already labelled this act as nothing less than ‘constitutional lynching’.
“We are at the receiving end under BJP rule in the State. We had never expected this scenario. Our names have been deleted from the voters list even after paying our regular taxes and participating in the previous Municipal polls in 2005”, several kashmiri pandit leaders said echoing similar sentiments against the lopsided decision.
One of the senior most leader of Panun Kashmir, a prominent organisation of displaced Kashmiri pandits, Dr Ajay Chrungoo said, “it is a sinister plot against the members of the displaced community”. They want to write off our names even from electoral records. He said, “We are being penalised for criticising working of BJP led Government. He said by ‘delisting’ around 1 lakh voters without their consent the Government is committing biggest human rights violation.
Questioning the logic behind the decision Kashmiri pandits said, “in 2005 when last Municipal polls were held in the State we had participated in large numbers in Jammu region. Even one of our candidates Sheela Handoo was electedfrom ward no 64 in Jammu.
But this time even her own name has been deleted from the voters list”.
Migrant Kashmiri pandits claimed when we are living in Jammu for past 28 years and paying our regular taxes to different State Government departments how can we go to Kashmir and participate in the polls from Kashmir valley.
The kashmiri pandits had submitted their representations to Chief Electoral Officer of the state and had even demanded that the Government must allow them to cast their votes on the basis of electoral rolls of 2012 or 2016 when their names existed in the list else they would be left with no other opportunity but to boycott the polls.
