The law needs to be amended to include proxy voting for NRIs (Representational)
The union cabinet today cleared a proposal to allow proxy voting to Indians living in other countries by amending electoral laws, a senior government official said. For overseas Indians, the Representation of the People Act needs to be amended to include proxy voting for them to cast votes.
While non-resident Indians or NRIs and overseas Indians are free to cast vote in constituencies where they are registered, they would also be allowed to use the option of proxy, which as of now is only available to service personnel.
An expert committee in the Election Commission working on the issue had, in 2015, forwarded the legal framework to the law ministry to amend electoral laws to allow overseas Indians use proxy voting.
Data shows that only 10,000 to 12,000 NRIs have voted because they do not want to spend on coming to India to cast votes.