Overseas Indians can exercise franchise in an election to the Lok Sabh

Overseas Indians can exercise franchise in an election to the Lok Sabha under which of the following conditions?

  • 1. They must be citizens of India.
  • 2. Their names must figure in the electoral roll.
  • 3. They must be present in India to vote.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1, 2 and 3
2 and 3 only
1 and 2 only
1 only
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-1 – 2020
The correct answer is A) 1, 2 and 3.
Overseas Indians (NRIs) who are citizens of India are eligible to vote. For an NRI to exercise franchise in an election to the Lok Sabha, the following conditions must be met under the current legal framework for physical voting:
1. They must be citizens of India. (Correct)
2. Their names must be registered and figure in the electoral roll of the constituency in India where they would have been ordinarily resident if they were living in India. (Correct)
3. They must be physically present in their registered constituency in India on the day of polling to cast their vote. (Correct – As per existing law requiring physical presence for casting the vote. While registration might not require presence, exercising the franchise (voting) historically required physical presence).
Therefore, all three conditions are necessary for an Overseas Indian to vote in a Lok Sabha election under the traditional system.
Amendments were made to the Representation of the People Act in 2010 to allow NRIs to register as voters. There have been ongoing discussions and proposals for alternative voting methods like proxy voting or e-postal ballots for NRIs to facilitate their participation without requiring physical presence, but these have not been fully implemented for all NRI voters as of now. Based on the requirement to physically cast the vote, all three conditions are necessary.