Out of nearly 11.4 million non-resident Indians across the globe, only 16,000 are registered as ‘overseas Indian voters’ in the country.
Seeking to attract more eligible overseas Indians to register themselves as voters in the country, the Election Commission has now started to reach out to them.
As part of its outreach programme, the poll panel has launched an online survey for overseas Indians to assess their level of awareness about the registration and voting process and to also gather opinion about their preferred method of voting.
The survey, the Commission feels, will help it in not only identifying information gaps but also enable it to understand the preferred methods of voting which can be shared with the government and Parliament.
An online competition is also a part of the initiative to engage with the target population.
While the survey will run through November and December, the online competition will conclude at the end of the month.
Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said the poll panel wants to systematically address challenges that overseas citizens might face for which it is conducting the online survey so that interventions can be designed accordingly.
“Let your voice be heard. Express your creativity, share your dreams with fellow citizens,” he said.
From Agencies, Feature image courtesy bluejersey
