The Hindu : Vote enthusiastically, Lyngdoh tells J&K voters

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 16, 2002

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Vote enthusiastically, Lyngdoh tells J&K voters

By Vinay Kumar

Armymen keeping vigil on Sunday at Sopore constituency in Baramulla district. — Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

NEW DELHI SEPT. 15. On the eve of the first phase of elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh, today appealed to the voters to exercise their franchise enthusiastically as the international media and diplomats would be keenly watching the elections.

Addressing a press conference after a full Commission meeting here to take stock of the poll arrangements in the State, Mr. Lyngdoh said that no person would be forced to vote. "But there are many of you, going by the media coverage of the election, who wish to vote despite the needless bloodshed and tribulation you have been through." Arrangements had been made and security personnel deployed in large numbers to protect the voters.

"The intrepid media and members of the diplomatic corps in strength from many parts of the world are your guests just to see you voting. Do not disappoint them," he said. The CEC, who was accompanied by the Election Commissioners, T.S. Krishnamurthy and B.B. Tandon, said that the Commission had, to ensure openness of the poll process, issued special passes to 28 Delhi-based diplomats, who would have free access to the polling stations. While 16 diplomats would be visiting Kupwara and Baramullah in the first phase, two would visit Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region. As many as 14,36,151 people would exercise their franchise in tomorrow's polling that would be spread over nearly 2,000 polling stations.

The Commission had sent 17 special observers as well as 48 additional observers and they had already started monitoring every stage of the election process. Nearly 5,000 personnel from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab had been deployed for election duty.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Committee, led by the former Union Law Minister, Ram Jethmalani, said that the panel would not meet Pakistan's National Kashmir Committee until there was a "warmer response" from other side. While maintaining that the Committee's aim was to find a durable and honourable solution to the Kashmir problem, Mr. Jethmalani said Sardar Abdul Qayyum of the Pakistan's Kashmir Committee had sent an e-mail to him, extending complete support.

Nine LeT militants killed

PTI reports from Srinagar:

At least nine Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed today when the Army foiled an infiltration bid in the Kupwara sector, a Defence spokesman said. The infiltrators were killed when the troops took them on at the Tangdar sector near the Line of Control this afternoon, he said adding that the action set off an encounter, which was on till late tonight.

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