DAMMAM — Indian expatriates residing in the Kingdom have welcomed India's Supreme Court's directive to the Election Commission to urgently look into possibilities for non-resident Indians (NRIs) to vote in the ongoing general elections to elect a new parliament. Under Indian law, registered NRI voters can vote if they are present in the constituency on the day of polling. The country's attorney general explained that the Election Commission would have logistical problems in making arrangements for NRIs to vote. There has been demand from Indian NRIs residing in different countries all over the world to be able to vote from overseas. Only staff of Indian missions abroad are provided with the facility of casting their vote while residing outside the country and working at their respective embassies. The Indian community in Saudi Arabia has been demanding overseas voting rights for the past two decades. An estimated 10 million registered voters live abroad. Abraham Valiyakala, coordinator of the Overseas Indian Organizations, said: “We have been fighting for our very basic right for so many years. “Thanks to the Supreme Court that it has taken up the issue and hopefully soon we Indians living abroad will get the right to vote.” Abdullah Rizvi, marketing and business development manager at Bitumat, hoped that the government of India would react positively to the directives of the Supreme Court. “In Saudi Arabia alone there are nearly 2.8 million Indians and a sizable number of them are registered voters. “It is absolutely unconstitutional to deprive them of their voting rights.” Shoaib Quraishi of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals said it was important the Indian government ensures that NRIs too have the same rights and freedom as those enjoyed by citizens living in the country. “Any distinction between those residing abroad and those who are in India, resulting in the denial of NRIs right to vote, would be a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed in the Indian Constitution. Zishan Haider, head of security at Jamal Jaroudi Establishment, hoped the court would pass a ruling making it mandatory for the Election Commission to allow NRIs living abroad to vote. He said: “The issue of NRIs voting has been raised so many times and then put to rest. I am hopeful this time as Supreme Court has now taken note of the issue. Maybe in the next election we will be queuing up to vote.”
