Election Commission yet to hear from the Govt. on voting rights to NRIs: Navin Chawla
merisarkar news service
New Delhi, January 24, 2010
CEC Navin Chawla
Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla said that the commission is yet to hear from the central government on the Prime Ministers promise of giving voting rights to Non Resident Indians from the next general election.
"We are awaiting some communication from the government. Let me see what government writes," he was quoted as saying by a news agency.
He said he has only seen media reports in this regard and every media outlet has reported differently on the issue. He said, "I do not know what the Prime Minister meant by People of Indian Origin. I have to await the formal communication in this regard."
However, he observed that the full commission would discuss the issue when it is formally placed before it.
The Prime Minister had said that Indian passport holders living abroad could get voting rights by the time of next Lok Sabha elections in 2014 while inaugurating this years Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas in New Delhi.
"We are working on this issue and I sincerely hope that they will get a chance to vote by the time of the next regular general elections," Dr Singh had told the gathering of 1,500 overseas Indians from 40 countries.
