New Delhi, March 19:  A WhatsApp post is going viral according to which Non-Resident Indians (NRI) can vote online in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. But India does not support e-voting, and the voters have to go to a polling booth to exercise their right to vote. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on February 21, clarified that NRI voters could not cast votes online. It also lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police to track down those spreading the “fake news”. Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Schedule: Voting In 7 Phases From April 11 to May 19, Counting And Results On May 23; Check All Dates For General Elections.

Tweet of EC spokesperson:

Meanwhile, government employees and defence personnel can vote through postal ballots and proxy voting. In postal ballots, a voter exercises his/her franchise through a post and in proxy voting, a person can authorise another residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his/her behalf. Currently, the option is available for wives of the defence and police personnel serving outside India. Model Code of Conduct for Lok Sabha Elections 2019: EC Bars Political Parties From Releasing Manifestos During 48-Hour Prohibitory Period.

An NRI, who holds an Indian passport, can vote in his/her native place after registering as an 'Overseas Voter'. For exercising the right to vote, NRIs should fill the Form 6A, which can be downloaded online (http://ecisveep.nic.in/voters/overseas-voters/). The forms along with supporting documents must be submitted to the Electoral Registration Officer in the constituency in person or via post.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, there are about 3.1 crore NRIs living in different countries. Meanwhile, The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad on December 18, 2017, that give NRI’s an option of proxy voting. The bill was though passed in the lower house, failed to get the approval of the Rajya Sabha.

Fact check

Fact Check: Viral WhatsApp Post Saying NRIs Can Vote Online on eci.gov.in in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections is Fake
Claim :

NRIs can vote online in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections

Conclusion :

NRIs cannot vote online. NRIs with Indian passport should fill the Form 6A, which can be downloaded online on nsvp.in. After the form is submitted in the EC office, he/she has to come to a polling booth to cast the vote

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2019 12:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).