75% registered NRI voters in Kerala: Do they have to fly to India or can they vote from abroad?

India is holding the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections today (26 Friday). Voting is underway in 88 constituencies across 13 states and Union Territories.

Electors in all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight each in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, six in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, three each in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, and one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur and Tripura are casting their ballots to decide the fate of over 1,200 candidates.

Several overseas Indians have flown to Kerala to take part in the
electoral exercise
. But is there a provision for non-resident Indians (NRIs) to cast their votes from abroad?

Let’s take a closer look.

Who are overseas voters?

An overseas elector is a person who is an Indian citizen and has not acquired citizenship of another country, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI). They are “absenting from his place of ordinary residence in India owing to his employment, education”.

An NRI can enrol as a voter in the constituency where their Indian residence, as listed in their passports, is located, as per the ECI.

Overseas electors also have to keep the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) informed in case of a change of their residential address abroad.

How can NRIs register as a voters?

NRIs were not eligible to vote in Indian elections before 2010. The government amended the Representation of the People Act that year to allow NRIs who had lived abroad for over six months to vote.

Overseas Indians have to fill out Form 6A to enrol as an elector. They can go to the ECI’s website and click on the Electors section.

The NRI will find Form 6A in the ‘Forms’ section. Click on ‘New registration for overseas (NRI) electors’ in this section.

After logging in, they can fill out the form and upload the required documents, including self-attested copies of their passport containing their addresses in India and a valid visa endorsement. NRIs should also keep their colour passport-sized picture handy while filling out the form.

Once the form is submitted, the verification process will kick-start. Booth-level authorities will visit the resident’s addresses mentioned on the passport and verify the copies of the submitted documents.

If there is any need to correct the electoral roll, voters can fill and submit Form 8.

The ERO will let the applicant know about their decision via post to the provided address and SMS to the mobile number mentioned in Form 6A.

Electoral rolls can be accessed through the Chief Electoral Officer’s website.

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Can NRIs cast votes from abroad?

After the voter is registered, NRIs are eligible to cast their ballots. However, they are not issued an Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or Voter ID Card and have to be physically present at their constituencies to vote.

As per an India Today report, over 22,000 NRIs reached Kerala ahead of the polling day on Friday to exercise their franchise. About 12 chartered flights were booked to fly them for the voting day.

According to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala has 89,839 registered NRI voters.

More than 118,000 overseas Indians registered to vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Of these, 74.9 per cent of NRIs are from Kerala, Business Standard reported citing a state-wise analysis of data from the ECI.

Around 6.4 per cent of overseas voters are from Andhra Pradesh, 4.7 per cent from Maharashtra and 2.9 per cent each from Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

Is there a need for reform?

NRIs got voting rights in 2011. As per a United Nations 2015 report, India has a diaspora population of 16 million (1.6 crore), the largest in the world.

Overseas Indians who registered to vote in general elections this year has gone up, compared to 2014 when 12,000 NRIs were enrolled as eligible voters.

While some NRIs travel to India to cast their votes in elections, it is expensive and not everyone can afford it.

The poll body has been looking at ways to ensure voting rights to overseas electors since 2020. There were discussions to provide them postal ballots to cast their votes. A bill to facilitate proxy voting by NRIs was proposed but it lapsed.

Overseas voters are calling for measures to allow them online voting so that they can exercise their franchise from abroad.

“I am one of those few people who have retained their Indian citizenship as I believe strongly in this identity which is also why I ensure I cast my vote. It’s also a great way to catch up on political discussions with friends and family. But yes, I do wish we had an online voting system for NRIs. Britain has it for its voters abroad, don’t see why it’s not happening for Indians abroad,” Dr Dhananjay Singh, a doctor in the United Kingdom, told Indian Express.