Naveen Jindal demands expansion of postal ballot system

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Naveen Jindal demanded expansion of postal ballot system to allow migrant workers, Indian students abroad, travelling business professionals and senior citizens to vote in an alternative manner.

"India's democracy is based on the basic framework of ensuring the right to vote to all eligible citizens. However, in practice, enforcement of this right is undermined by the existing legal and regulatory process," Jindal said in his meeting with Election Commissioner Naseem Zaidi.

According to a press release by Jindal, the industrialist said in the true spirit of Indian democracy, it was imperative for the country to expand the postal ballot system to allow all Indian citizens to exercise their right to vote by post or any other form like internet voting and proxy voting.

The government has recently granted voting rights to the country's citizens living abroad, but the cumbersome process of casting their votes saw only 13 overseas voters exercising their franchise in five states held in 2012, Jindal said.

"The Election Commissioner promised that the Election Commission will look into the feasibility of extending absentee voting rights to various categories of the voter," the release said.

Jindal has been pursuing the matter for the past many years and has also made representations to the Ministry of Law and Justice and Election Commission.