ABU DHABI // Indian expatriates are upset that they will have to travel home to vote in coming elections, rather than being able to cast their ballots in the UAE.
“Indians living abroad have to register and they have to go to their constituencies in India to vote, as per the decision of the election commission of India,” said T P Seetharam, the Indian ambassador.
Travelling home to vote in the national elections, due in May, is impractical and expensive for many in the Indian community, who have long demanded overseas voting rights.
The growing popularity of the new Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the “common man” anti-corruption group that recently swept the Delhi state elections, makes voting in the national polls even more compelling for expatriates.
“This is the first time I would be travelling to India merely for casting my vote for AAP, which stood against corruption and provides a ray of hope for the masses,” said Abdul Gafoor Kadavath, a senior officer with Union National Bank in Abu Dhabi, who has lived in the UAE for 30 years.
“I don’t like politics and politicians due to their exploitative nature of functioning and misusing the country’s resources, as well as the hard-earned money of its people.
“AAP has given us a new hope to rise against corrupt politicians.”
Mr Seetharam said the Indian government was not considering changing the rules.
“This has been said categorically by Vayalar Ravi, minister for overseas Indian affairs, at the recently concluded Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in New Delhi [this month],” he said.
“There is no intention to change that now because if you allow Indians to vote outside then you have to allow Indian citizens, who are in India but not in their constituencies, to vote wherever they are living.”
The election commission of India, which gave voting rights to non-resident Indians (NRIs) in 2011, set the condition that all ballots must be cast from a voter’s constituency and in person.
“It’s not very practical to travel to India to vote,” said Sudhir Shetty, chief operating officer of global operations at UAE Exchange, Abu Dhabi.
“Technology is there so a solution can be found. I think when importance is given to this issue something can materialise.”
Thomas John, honorary president of the India Social and Cultural Centre in Abu Dhabi, said: “Basically, they are scared of overseas Indians who could play a big role in changing the fortune of many politicians if allowed to vote from their country of residence.
“It’s understandable that India is a huge country having a different political set for a seat a large number of parties contest, but still I believe that if the election commission of India wants, it can find a solution for it.”
Ramesh Panicker, head of corporate banking at Al Masraf Bank in Abu Dhabi and a former honorary president of the India Social and Cultural Centre, said: “I know the electoral process of India is a bit complicated due to the large number of parties and huge NRI communities living overseas, which requires quite good polling arrangements for setting up polling stations.
“But it’s a lack of commitment on the part of the government. It needs to find some solutions for this.”
Overseas voters must fill out Form 6A, available on the Indian embassy website, www.indembassyuae.org, to register on electoral rolls. They must provide their passports.
anwar@thenational.ae
