Dubai, June 15: Non Resident Indians have been confused by news reports that the Bill to accord them franchise is well on the way to becoming a law in parliament.
However, the Indian authorities have clarified that the Bill is only intended to offer the fundamental right to those who are in the constituency on the voting day.
There is no provision in the Bill for voting at embassies and consulates so, in reality, almost 90 per cent of the community is ruled out since the lower income groups are very unlikely to be able to coincide their visits with the elections.
Of the 10 per cent that might have the wherewithal to travel at will it is unlikely their schedules will match so perfectly. Consequently, the news release issued in New Delhi on Sunday offers little comfort and certainly does not indicate a voting right being bestowed upon NRIs.
–Agencies