NRIs to get more voting options, Center tells SC

The Central government told the Supreme Court of India that the Cabinet would soon consider a proposal to allow non-resident Indians (NRIs) various options to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Under the move, NRIs would be allowed to cast their votes through postal ballots or proxy voting through their representatives, in addition to the existing facility of personal voting in their respective constituencies.

Additional Solicitor-General (ASG) PS Narasimha informed a Bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu that the government would amend the Representation of People Act for the purpose.

Earlier, the Election Commission had suggested that postal ballots could be electronically sent to the NRI voters, who could send them back by surface mail after exercising their option.

Meanwhile, the EC told the Bench that a panel was going into the demand for letting migrant labourers in the country vote in various elections from the place where they were working at the time of polling. The EC was facing difficulties in working out logistics for the purpose, it said. The Supreme Court granted two months to the government and the EC to finalise their proposals.