The Kerala NRI Commission has urged the Centre to amend the Representation of the People (RP) Act to ensure voting rights for overseas Indians from their workplace.
The commission, a quasi-judicial body constituted by the State government to look into the grievances and welfare of Non-Resident Keralites, passed a resolution on Friday demanding voting rights from their workplace.
Resolution moved
The resolution moved by commission member Shamsheer Vayalil demanded an amendment to the Act at the earliest. Dr. Shamsheer is also the petitioner in a writ petition filed in the Supreme Court. It urged the Centre to pilot a Bill in the next Parliament session. The resolution would be forwarded to the Law Ministry, Election Commission of India, and the Centre.
The public interest litigation filed at the apex court has demanded introduction of either e-ballot or proxy voting.
Though the Lok Sabha had passed a Bill enabling NRI proxy voting rights in August 2018 after an expert committee of the Election Commission forwarded the legal framework to the Law Ministry to amend the laws, it lapsed following the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha.
