Displaced Kashmiri Pandits’ names missing from electoral rolls

Scores of displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu faced disappointment on Monday during the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections as their names were absent from the electoral rolls, rendering them unable to cast their votes.

Despite braving scorching heat, many Kashmiri Pandits lined up at special polling stations in Jammu, only to be turned away without exercising their franchise. Veena, a resident of Jagti camp and a migrant from the erstwhile Habbakadal area of Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, expressed frustration, stating, “I came to the polling station with three members of my family to cast our votes despite such heat. We carried our EPIC (Voter ID) cards too. But we found our names missing from the electoral roll. It is a denial of our right to vote.”

Similar accounts echoed across the polling stations, with Avinash Raina and several others sharing their disappointment. Raina lamented, “We came here to vote. We don’t figure in the voting list. What do we do now? Nobody is here to listen to us and resolve the issue.”
Kuldeep Kumar, another affected voter, called for an investigation into the matter, highlighting the injustice faced by those denied their voting rights despite possessing valid voter ID cards.

Expressing the community’s frustration, Congress leader and president of Jagti tenement committee, Shadi Lal Pandita, emphasized the discrepancy between government expectations and ground realities. “The government will be quick to accuse the KPs of not coming out to vote. But see the ground reality. They have EPIC cards but they do not figure in the lists. It is grave injustice.”Assistant Electoral Returning Officer (AERO), Migrants, Dr. Riaz Ahmed acknowledged the problem, attributing it to outdated data used to prepare the electoral rolls. Despite efforts to resolve the issue, many displaced Kashmiri Pandits were left disenfranchised.

As polling continued in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Srinagar constituency, with nearly 17.48 lakh voters eligible to vote, the plight of displaced Kashmiri Pandits underscores the challenges faced by marginalized communities in exercising their democratic rights.