NRIs may now vote in elections in India
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Barun Mitra, New Delhi
Mar 5, 2011, 1:34:47 AM3/5/11
to Empowering India
NRIs can now vote for state assembly elections
ibnlive.com
Updated Mar 01, 2011 at 10:36pm IST
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/nris-can-now-vote-for-state-assembly-elections/144787-37-64.html
New Delhi: For the first time in India's voting history, overseas
Indian citizens will be able to cast their ballot in person in the
five assembly elections, the dates for which were announced on
Tuesday.
Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi said in accordance with the
recent amendment to the Representation of the People Act, overseas
Indian citizens have been enabled to be enrolled as voters and would
be able to vote in person.
He said election officials have been suitably instructed to facilitate
the process of their registration as voters.
Non-resident Indians can now cast votes in their home constituencies
as the government has notified rules in this regard, fulfilling the
longstanding demand of such people, estimated to be 11 million.
The rules make it clear that the NRIs would have to register as voters
and be "physically present" with their passport on the polling day to
exercise their franchise. There is no provision for postal balloting.
"Every citizen of India staying in a foreign country, who has not
acquired citizenship of a foreign country, and has completed 18 years
of age as on January 1 of the year, can make an application for being
registered in the roll for the constituency pertaining to the locality
in which his place of residence in India as mentioned in the passport
is located," said the notification prepared in consultation with the
Election Commission.
This meets the longstanding demands of the NRIs and fulfills the
promise made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at last year's Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas, an annual congregation of Indian diaspora here.
As per the law so far, the name of an NRI would be deleted from the
voters' list if he or she did not stay at their residence in India for
six months at a stretch.
The NRI voters now can submit the application directly to the
electoral registration officer of the constituency within which the
place of residence is mentioned in the passport.
The application can either be submitted directly or sent by post.
According to the Representation of the People Act, once a person is
registered as a voter, he automatically has a right to contest polls
also.
As per the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2010, so far
a person who has gone out of the country for business or employment
should be treated as having moved out of that place.
Mere ownership or possession of a building or other immovable property
did not bestow on the owner, the residential qualification.
There are a large number of citizens of India residing outside India
due to various reasons. They have been persistently demanding for
conferring them voting rights, the Amendment Act said.
Though the issue had been receiving the attention of the Government
for quite some time, the demand could not be acceded to owing to
certain "practical difficulties" in enrolling them in the electoral
rolls of the concerned constituency.
The Act says the right to vote as demanded by the citizens of India
living abroad is "their legitimate right." Conferring such right will
enable them to participate in the democratic process of elections in
their motherland and will also boost their involvement in the nation
building.
ibnlive.com
Updated Mar 01, 2011 at 10:36pm IST
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/nris-can-now-vote-for-state-assembly-elections/144787-37-64.html
New Delhi: For the first time in India's voting history, overseas
Indian citizens will be able to cast their ballot in person in the
five assembly elections, the dates for which were announced on
Tuesday.
Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi said in accordance with the
recent amendment to the Representation of the People Act, overseas
Indian citizens have been enabled to be enrolled as voters and would
be able to vote in person.
He said election officials have been suitably instructed to facilitate
the process of their registration as voters.
Non-resident Indians can now cast votes in their home constituencies
as the government has notified rules in this regard, fulfilling the
longstanding demand of such people, estimated to be 11 million.
The rules make it clear that the NRIs would have to register as voters
and be "physically present" with their passport on the polling day to
exercise their franchise. There is no provision for postal balloting.
"Every citizen of India staying in a foreign country, who has not
acquired citizenship of a foreign country, and has completed 18 years
of age as on January 1 of the year, can make an application for being
registered in the roll for the constituency pertaining to the locality
in which his place of residence in India as mentioned in the passport
is located," said the notification prepared in consultation with the
Election Commission.
This meets the longstanding demands of the NRIs and fulfills the
promise made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at last year's Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas, an annual congregation of Indian diaspora here.
As per the law so far, the name of an NRI would be deleted from the
voters' list if he or she did not stay at their residence in India for
six months at a stretch.
The NRI voters now can submit the application directly to the
electoral registration officer of the constituency within which the
place of residence is mentioned in the passport.
The application can either be submitted directly or sent by post.
According to the Representation of the People Act, once a person is
registered as a voter, he automatically has a right to contest polls
also.
As per the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2010, so far
a person who has gone out of the country for business or employment
should be treated as having moved out of that place.
Mere ownership or possession of a building or other immovable property
did not bestow on the owner, the residential qualification.
There are a large number of citizens of India residing outside India
due to various reasons. They have been persistently demanding for
conferring them voting rights, the Amendment Act said.
Though the issue had been receiving the attention of the Government
for quite some time, the demand could not be acceded to owing to
certain "practical difficulties" in enrolling them in the electoral
rolls of the concerned constituency.
The Act says the right to vote as demanded by the citizens of India
living abroad is "their legitimate right." Conferring such right will
enable them to participate in the democratic process of elections in
their motherland and will also boost their involvement in the nation
building.
Barun Mitra, New Delhi
Mar 5, 2011, 11:54:44 AM3/5/11
to Empowering India
NRIs want to vote, but through postal ballot
4 Mar, 2011, 02.36PM IST,IANS
WASHINGTON: Indians in America have welcomed the Election Commission's
move to permit non-resident Indians to vote back home, but feel it
would be a tough call to go to India just to vote.
Instead NRIs should be allowed to vote by postal ballot,
electronically or at Indian missions abroad. They could also be given
separate representation in the Indian parliament, community leaders
told IANS.
"We very much welcome this," said Thomas Abraham, Founder President,
Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) International
recalling, "We have been campaigning on this since 2000."
"On the other hand, it will be extremely difficult for 10 million or
more Indian citizens to travel to India during the election time to
vote in their constituencies," he said.
Contd....
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/nris-want-to-vote-but-through-postal-ballot/articleshow/7626443.cms
=======
Authorities urge non-resident Keralites to enrol for voting
By IANS
Friday, 04 March 2011, 11:09 IST
Thiruvananthapuram: Non-resident Keralities (NRK) who want to cast
their votes in the upcoming assembly elections April 13 will have to
get their names enrolled in the state's voters list before the third
week of March, the state's chief electoral officer said Wednesday.
Addressing reporters here, Nalini Netto said there were two ways in
which NRKs can register.
"Either they can get a copy of their passport attested from the
respective Indian embassies where they are residing now and send it to
the concerned official handling the voters list in their constituency
or they can personally go to the official with the original passport
and the visa documents and get themselves enrolled," she said.
There are more than two million NRKs, of whom close to 80 percent are
working in countries in the Middle East.
Contd....
http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Authorities_urge_nonresident_Keralites_to_enrol_for_voting-nid-79951.html
4 Mar, 2011, 02.36PM IST,IANS
WASHINGTON: Indians in America have welcomed the Election Commission's
move to permit non-resident Indians to vote back home, but feel it
would be a tough call to go to India just to vote.
Instead NRIs should be allowed to vote by postal ballot,
electronically or at Indian missions abroad. They could also be given
separate representation in the Indian parliament, community leaders
told IANS.
"We very much welcome this," said Thomas Abraham, Founder President,
Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) International
recalling, "We have been campaigning on this since 2000."
"On the other hand, it will be extremely difficult for 10 million or
more Indian citizens to travel to India during the election time to
vote in their constituencies," he said.
Contd....
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/nris-want-to-vote-but-through-postal-ballot/articleshow/7626443.cms
=======
Authorities urge non-resident Keralites to enrol for voting
By IANS
Friday, 04 March 2011, 11:09 IST
Thiruvananthapuram: Non-resident Keralities (NRK) who want to cast
their votes in the upcoming assembly elections April 13 will have to
get their names enrolled in the state's voters list before the third
week of March, the state's chief electoral officer said Wednesday.
Addressing reporters here, Nalini Netto said there were two ways in
which NRKs can register.
"Either they can get a copy of their passport attested from the
respective Indian embassies where they are residing now and send it to
the concerned official handling the voters list in their constituency
or they can personally go to the official with the original passport
and the visa documents and get themselves enrolled," she said.
There are more than two million NRKs, of whom close to 80 percent are
working in countries in the Middle East.
Contd....
http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Authorities_urge_nonresident_Keralites_to_enrol_for_voting-nid-79951.html
Vardhman Tatia
Mar 6, 2011, 7:51:35 AM3/6/11
to empowerin...@googlegroups.com, barun...@gmail.com
Some thing is better than nothing. Let there be even a poor start. Moves like this has a far reaching effect. There shall be amendments, upgradation etc in due course of time. The NRI community shall feel more attached to their motherland.
Best wishes, NRIs
Vardhman Tatia
From: "Barun Mitra, New Delhi" <barun...@gmail.com>
To: Empowering India <empowerin...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sat, March 5, 2011 10:24:44 PM
Subject: [empoweringindia:%] Re: NRIs may now vote in elections in India
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