NRI Kannadigas seek postal voting and polling booths at embassies for Karnataka assembly polls
Bengaluru: Kannadigas living overseas are seeking the right to vote through postal ballots or polling booths at their respective embassies, ahead of the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections. Approximately five lakh non-resident Indians (NRIs) from Karnataka are mostly unable to exercise their franchise as they are unable to travel to their hometowns to cast their votes.
This time, Kannadigas residing in countries such as Italy, England, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, among others, have approached the Election Commission of India and their respective embassy or Consulate General of India’s (CGI) offices seeking permission to vote through postal ballots or booths at their embassies.
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The Sagarottara Kannadigaru association, registered in the UK to represent overseas Kannadigas worldwide, has filed a public interest litigation in the Karnataka high court, where a hearing is scheduled for May 2. Ravi Mahadev, the association's joint secretary, told the Times of India that he came to Mysuru to vote on May 10. He stated that the cost of visiting India for elections is high, and neither the ECI nor the government encourages NRIs to vote. Although there is a provision to register as an overseas Kannadiga in Form-6A, it does not provide postal voting or booths in the countries where NRIs work.
Association president Chandrashekhar Lingadalli, who has come to Banahatti, his hometown in Bagalkot, from Dubai, said non-resident Kannadigas have started a campaign to submit memorandums to their respective embassies. The number of eligible NRI Kannadigas are of three types - working, dependents, and students. When countries like Algeria, the Philippines, Italy, and Romania allow their citizens to vote by setting up polling booths at their embassies, why is it not possible for about 60 lakh NRIs, he asked.
Hemegowda Rudrappa has submitted a memorandum to CGI in Italy, while Ravi Mahadeva has submitted a memorandum to the chief electoral officer, Karnataka, in Bengaluru. The campaign highlights the difficulties faced by NRIs in travelling to India to vote, particularly during a pandemic. They argue that the establishment of postal voting or polling booths at embassies is a practical solution that will allow NRIs to exercise their democratic rights without having to incur significant costs.
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Vatican City (AP): Pope Francis was rolled into St Peter's Square in a wheelchair during a special Jubilee Mass for the sick, marking his first public appearance at the Vatican on Sunday since his release from the hospital two weeks ago.
The pontiff lifted his hands to wave at the crowd, who stood and applauded, as he was rolled to the front of the altar in the square.
“Good Sunday to everyone,'' the pope told the crowd. “Thank you very much.”
The pontiff's voice sounded stronger than when he addressed well-wishers outside of Gemelli hospital on the day of his release March 23, after battling life-threatening pneumonia during a five-week hospital stay.
