The candidates contesting local elections in Kashmir valley have failed to enthuse the migrant Kashmiri Pandits to join the electoral process in their support.
It appears the contesting candidates, from different municipal wards in Kashmir, are not keen on seeking support of these migrant voters to sail through amid a poll boycott call.
"Not a single contesting candidate from municipal wards in Srinagar, where polling is scheduled to take place during phase 1 on October 8, has approached us here in Jammu to vote for them", a migrant Kashmiri voter living in Durga Nagar area of Jammu told The Pioneer.
Due to lack lustre response from Kashmir a little over 1700 Kashmiri migrants have decided to participate in these municipal polls.
According to official sources, "Out of these 245 migrant postal ballots were registered for first phase,
975 for the second phase and 467 for the third phase in Kashmir valley".
Due to poll boycott call given by the two mainstream political parties - National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party - and the prevailing security scenario in Kashmir valley, elections are not going to take place on more than 60 per cent seats. Voting is expected to take place only in 232 wards in the valley.
According to official sources, "out of a total of 624 Wards in Kashmir, 215 have been won by the candidates uncontested,while 177 Wards went uncontested, finding not even a single candidate to contest.
In Jammu, this minuscule number of Kashmiri migrants have decided to exercise their right to franchise by following a long and tedious process of using a postal ballot.
Earlier, various migrant Kashmiri Pandit organisations had decided to boycott these municipal/ Panchayat polls in protest against the delisting of their names from the existing electoral rolls of Jammu Municipal corporation.
Highly placed official sources told The Pioneer, "out of 16 centres,including six transit migrant camps in Kashmir valley, where electoral rolls of municipal wards of Kashmir division were made available by the office of Chief electoral officer, migrant voters have approached designated officers only at five places while no one turned up across 11 other centres in Jammu to complete the process of receiving Migrant postal ballot".
Official sources told The Pioneer, "476 migrant voters living in Muthi migrant camp had enrolled themselves to exercise their franchise in the municipal polls while 133 enrolled from Jagti camp, 60 from Nagrota, 305 from Shastri Nagar and 730 from Bakshi Nagar.
"Migrant Kashmiri pandits staying across six transit camps in Sheikhpora, Mattan,Vessu,Natnusua,Veerwan,Hawi have also failed to come forward to participate in the municipal polls",official sources said.