SC moved for NRIs' right to vote from abroad

The plea said 114 countries have adopted external voting and 20 such countries are from Asia.

It said external voting could be by setting up polling booths at the diplomatic missions, or by postal, proxy or electronic voting.

Seeking the reading down of section 20A of the Representation of People (Amendment) Act, 2010, that mandates the presence of the voter at the polling station to cast his vote, the petitioner Shamsheer V.P. said: “If the relief sought is granted, then a total number of 1,00,37,761 people will be entitled to cast their votes as against a paltry 11,000 who have registered” at present.

Shamsheer V.P. migrated to the UAE 12 years ago, prior to which he was enrolled as a voter in his hometown of Calicut in Kerala. He had voted in the earlier elections but was subsequently removed from the voters list because of his NRI status.

Shamsheer V.P. operates nine hospitals in the UAE and a pharmaceutical manufacturing unit with a combined staff strength of around 5,600 people of which 3,600 are Indians.