New Delhi: The Election Commission of India has proposed to grant postal voting rights to NRIs (Non Residential Indians) and non gulf countries are likely to be included in initial phase of pilot project. As per sources, Election Commission officials and Ministry of External affairs officials had a meeting last week and MEA agreed to proposal. However, EC has to look after manpower required for this process. The postal voting facility will be available at Indian missions overeseas.
Initially, as per sources NRIs based in US, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Germany, France and South Africa are likely to included in postal voting process. As per proposal, the process will include a designated official who will download ballot paper on behalf on voter. The NRI voter can mark on ballot paper as per preference and handover to official. Apart from this a self declaration form attested by Indian mission official will be posted to India along with ballot paper. Under ETPBS(Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System ), which is currently only available to those in the defence services, the postal ballot is dispatched electronically and returned via ordinary mail. To extend this facility to overseas voters, the government needs to amend the Conduct of Election Rules 1961.
The proposed process is likely to get for implemented for assembly polls in Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry next year.
Gulf countries such as Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are not initially included in proposed pilot.
INC spokesperson Dr. Shama Mohammad raised questions on not including Gulf NRIs in proposal. She tweeted," @ECISVEEP's proposal to grant postal voting rights may get implemented first only for voters based in US, Canada, NZ, Japan, Australia, Germany, France & SA. Why are NRIs from Gulf countries, which send the maximum remittances to India excluded! Is there an Ulterior motive?"
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-@ECISVEEP's proposal to grant postal voting rights may get implemented first only for voters based in US, Canada, NZ, Japan, Australia, Germany, France & SA. Why are NRIs from Gulf countries, which send the maximum remittances to India excluded! Is there an Ulterior motive ?
— Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) December 15, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">-@ECISVEEP's proposal to grant postal voting rights may get implemented first only for voters based in US, Canada, NZ, Japan, Australia, Germany, France & SA. Why are NRIs from Gulf countries, which send the maximum remittances to India excluded! Is there an Ulterior motive ?
— Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) December 15, 2020-@ECISVEEP's proposal to grant postal voting rights may get implemented first only for voters based in US, Canada, NZ, Japan, Australia, Germany, France & SA. Why are NRIs from Gulf countries, which send the maximum remittances to India excluded! Is there an Ulterior motive ?
— Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) December 15, 2020
MEA previously expressed strong reservations over facilitating voting for Indian citizens living in non-democratic nations.Holding a democratic exercise, involving voters queuing outside Indian Missions and Embassies, in non-democratic countries will require permissions, and the host nation may not approve.
Over 1 lakh overseas Indians are registered as voters in India, according to the EC and around 25,000 of them flew to India to vote in General elections of 2019.Majority of these voters are from Kerala, Andra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Tamilnadu.
Read: Kerala civic polls: 50 per cent voter turnout till 1 PM
