www.goa-world. com GULF-GOANS e-NEWSLETTER (since 1994) >>http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans/ http://www.colaco.net/ >>http://www.live365.com/index.live >>Tumcam Maie-mogacho ieukar. Stay tuned to Gulf Goans e-Newsletter - everyday >>someone, somewhere learns a >>little.....________________________________________________________________________________97% >> of 12,000 new NRI voters from Kerala >>March 10, 2014 6:51 >>For the first time, non-resident Indians will be voting in the general >>elections. A total of 11,844 NRIs have enrolled via post for the 2014 Lok >>Sabha elections but they will have to travel to their constituency to cast >>votes on the polling day. >> >> >>Kerala accounts for the bulk of the NRI voters at 11,488, while Punjab with >>138 and Tamil Nadu with 112 come a far second and third, respectively. NRI >>voter registration figures not only point to migration patterns but also >>indicate levels of political awareness. Uttar Pradesh, the state with the >>largest number of general voters, has no NRI voters. >>“Kerala has a large migrant population in Gulf countries. Also, Keralites are >>politically aware and so many have registered to vote,” said UAE-based >>Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust chairman K V Shamsudheen. >>Following the amendment of The Representation of the People Bill in 2010, >>citizens of India living abroad were given a chance to register as voters. As >>of May 2012, the ministry of overseas Indian affairs put the number of NRIs >>at more than a crore, and the overseas Indian community (which includes NRIs >>and people of Indian origin) at 2.5 crore. >> >>An NRI is eligible to vote if he or she does not hold citizenship of any >>other country, according to the Election Commission rules. An NRI can vote in >>the constituency that is mentioned in his or her passport as the place of >>residence in India. The form to be filled and posted to the electoral >>registration officer of the constituency is available on the EC website. An >>NRI will get a letter or an SMS once his or her name is added to the rolls. >>Though the forms and photocopies of supporting documents can be sent by post, >>an NRI has to appear in person to cast vote. Postal ballot, online voting or >>even polling in the local Indian missions are not an option. >>“The government should allow us to vote in the Indian consulate or embassy or >>send our votes by post. It is not possible for 25 million NRIs to travel to >>their hometowns just to vote,” said a spokesperson for NRI Voting Rights, a >>forum of NRIs in the US. >>“When we can register online, why not cast our votes online? The EC can >>introduce extra layers of checks and verification processes,” said >>Shamsudheen. “The government can make use of the details such as fingerprints >>and iris scans that we have already given for Aadhar registration so that we >>can vote from the place where we are working,” he said. >>Smaller states seem to have more politically conscious citizens than larger >>ones. At least 56 citizens from Puducherry who are living in France have >>enrolled themselves, while 27 voters from Goa are on the rolls. New Delhi and >>Maharashtra have 13 NRI voters each, while the rest of the states have just >>one each. >>“The Election Commission has made it easy for NRIs to register as voters by >>explaining on its website the procedure to be followed. The manner of voting >>has to be decided by the government and it may take time,” said an EC >>official. >>___________________ >> >> >>Diaspora ballot >>Total No. of NRIs: 1 crore >>Total No. of NRI voters: 11,844 >>Kerala: 11,488 >>Punjab: 138 >>Tamil Nadu: 112 >>Puducherry: 56 >>Goa: 27 >>New Delhi: 13 >>Maharashtra: 13 >> >> >>___________________________________________ >>http://kuwaitindiainfo.com/?p=5489 >> THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Every individual has a place to fill in the world, and >>is important in some respect, whether he chooses to be so or not.
