Sekhwan welcomes voting rights to NRIs

Lily

B.R
Staff member
Chandigarh November 30:

Punjab Education Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sewa Singh Sekhwan today welcomed the Central notification granting voting rights to Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and described it a historical decision aimed at involving million of NRIs in Indian polity.

In a statement here, Mr Sekhwan said more than 11 million Indians were living in different parts of the world and had not acquired citizenship of any other country and with this notification they became eligible to register their names in the electoral rolls and would be able to exercise their franchise.

The Minister said this decision would have a greater impact on Punjab as a number of Punjabis were living abroad who had no voting rights. The Punjab government had taken up this issue with the Union government several times.

He demanded that the Election Commission, while finalising the rules and regulations prescribing modalities for entry of names of NRIs in electoral rolls, must explore the possibility of granting e-mail ballot rights to them also as it would not be physically possible for each NRI to visit his native place during elections.

 
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