NRIs get right to vote
PTI
NEW DELHI, AUG 31
Non-resident Indians (NRIs) will now have a right to vote in elections,
with Parliament on Tuesday passing the relevant bill, even as government
promised to bring in comprehensive electoral reforms legislation soon.
Replying to a debate on the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill,
2010 to allow NRIs to exercise their franchise in Indian elections, Law
Minister M Veerappa Moily said the government would hold a national
consultation on comprehensive electoral reforms in two to three months.
Rajya Sabha had passed the bill yesterday.
“The Ministry is making all round efforts for comprehensive electoral
reforms and we want to hold a national consultation on it in two to
three months time,” Moily said, responding to the demand for complete
electoral reforms from members.
He said the Election Commission had in its report on electoral reforms
made 22 recommendations of which six had already been implemented.
The rest of the recommendations, he said, were currently being examined
by a department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee and it would be
taken up for implementation later.
Moily said the House had no “dispute” over the need for providing voting
rights to NRIs, but members had views on the modalities for allowing
that right, which would be addressed separately.
Describing the current amendment to the law as long-awaited, he said the
current bill aimed to provide rights to those Indians, who had gone
abroad for employment or education but have not obtained citizenship of
the country they were residing now, to get registered in the electoral
rolls and vote in elections to legislatures and Parliament.
Noting that 25 million Indians living broad were not able to participate
in elections to the country’s legislative bodies, he said 25 nations
globally had accorded such a right to its citizens living away from home
country and that this right would not be unique for India.
Responding to members’ queries on the bill, Moily said internet voting
was one option that the government would consider in the future once
technical expertise and infrastructure was in place within the country,
adding that such a facility was yet to be introduced in India.
“Let us look forward to that day,” he said, supporting the suggestion
made by members.
He said NRIs would be allowed to register as voters in the constituency
from where they had obtained their passports “to avoid multiplicity of
registering in voters list.”
The Minister supported the option of registering in any constituency for
NRIs irrespective of their passport address, but that issue would be
resolved after finding a way to avoid “multiplicity” of registration.
On the coverage of the entire voting population under the Electors Photo
Identity Card (EPIC), he said that would have been the “ideal state” and
that the government would make all efforts towards that.
Earlier, participating in the debate, Uday Singh (BJP) said while the
Election Commission had made comprehensive suggestions for electoral
reforms, the government had chosen selectively those that suited them
for implementation.
He also appealed to the Minister not to link registration in voters list
to the passport address and allow their names to be included in
electoral rolls in any constituency.
Singh wanted the Unique Identity Card to be used as voters identity and
citizenship card.
P T Thomas (Cong) wanted the Minister to clarify if NRIs would be
allowed to contest polls. But the Minister had already clarified in the
Rajya Sabha that it would not be permitted.
T K S Elangovan (DMK) wanted to know if the election officials would
have powers to delete names of NRIs from voters list if they changed
their passport address and if punitive action would be taken against
them if they did so arbitrarily.
B Mahtab (BJD) said it would be impossible for the NRIs to spend lakhs
of rupees to visit India only to vote in elections and suggested that
some other mode of voting should be allowed for them.
http://oheraldo.in/news/Main%20Page%20News/NRIs-get-right-to-vote/40470.html
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Now available in Toronto, a few copies of *Into The Diaspora Wilderness* by
Selma Carvalho. Contact Bosco D'Mello
[email protected] (416) 803-7264
http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/
