Allow Indians On The Move To Vote From Their Current Location

India, a country with a population of 133 Crore, is undoubtedly the largest democracy in the world. Which means we elect all the leaders that are sitting in the parliament and are taking crucial steps for the betterment of the country. Well, this is partially true, as a huge chunk of the population residing in the country are eligible to vote, but fails to do so. To provide a vivid picture, in the 2014 general elections, 28 crore Indians who were eligible to vote and had their names enrolled in the electoral rolls did not vote.

Why Does The Problem Persist?

So what is the reason behind such a setback? One of the major reasons fueling this issue is that a large number of people stay away from places where they are registered in. On voting days, the voter ID or an Aadhar card simply doesn’t make them eligible to vote since the person has to be physically present where he is registered, to be able to cast his/her vote.

The Times Of India has come up with the campaign #LostVotes to appeal to the Election Commission to allow Indians on move to cast their vote irrespective of where they live. To support the cause click the link: www.lostvotes.com

The Campaign has garnered reactions from people from across the country who are bereft of their fundamental right to vote for reasons such as jobs or higher studies for which they move out of their native place and miss their chance to vote.

I'm from Latur , #Maharashtra but I'm doing job in Kolkata , West Bengal So I'm very interested to #vote but it's not possible I #support #Lostvotes @TheLostVotes campaign of @timesofindia

— Yeshwant Margane (@YeshwantMargane) January 15, 2019

Living in a different city just because your work is in a different state, should not deprive your right to vote, right? Several people across the nation have faced the same issue. For instance, Heena Sidhu, who is an Indian pistol shooter has expressed her concern for failing to cast votes when she is out for training or participating in a competition.

I would love it if I can still vote even when I am out for competitions or training camps. It's possible to collect everybodys vote in todays world so why can't we do it.

— Heena SIDHU (@HeenaSidhu10) January 13, 2019

Students and interns who live far away from their native place take the worst hit in this mishap. They often tend to lose on their first vote because of practical exams, assignments, high ticket prices or work pressure.

I'm also a first time voter in lokshabha election…I'm from Gujarat but due to my internships I'll be in Mumbai for further months and I just want to vote……#LostVotes #2019Elections #BehtarBharat https://t.co/yq6afoGiVh

— Maya Yadav (@MayaYad67363647) January 30, 2019

Some of the people over the internet has even tabled there thoughts regarding how individuals coming from different background and work culture are trapped in this mishap. This lets us know that not only a specific section of people are facing the crisis but a vast array of people are entangled to it.

Neither can vote in the 2019 elections.Because they study and work in cities away from their hometowns. Like Pranjal and Vinod, crores of Indians are on the move.For work or education And many have voter cards but live far away from their constituencies where they are registered.

— Faizan Jaliyawala (@FJaliyawala92) February 4, 2019

It is not practical for a person to deregister himself/herself from his/her home town and register to a place where he/she might be living temporarily. While the leaders of the country have persistently failed to acknowledge the failure of domestic migrants in casting their votes, they are more worried about the number of votes lost as NRIs fail to cast votes. Concerned with this they have passed the bill to allow 1.60 crore NRIs to vote by proxy, whereas the same franchise is not yet available to 28 crore domestic migrants.

Several Suggestions Popped Up From Across The Country Before 2019 General Elections

One question that lingers down the skin of every citizen who dwells away from the place where he/she is registered in, is the fact that when other essential services such as phone numbers and bank accounts mobilise with them, then why doesn’t their right to vote move?

Several people falling under the array of domestic migrants feel that an option to cast a vote should be made available on display of voter ID card or Aadhaar card, irrespective of where they are registered to vote. Another acknowledged solution by the lot is to shift the voting process to online, in doing so everyone who is eligible to vote can cast their vote.

Why can't we think of #eVote option using Aadhaar or any unique identity along with biometric verification? @NICMeity @cdacindia @toi @TimesNow @UIDAI Hundreds of IT people don't cast their vote because of staying outside their native. @nasscom#LostVotes#LokSabhaElections2019

— Satyajit Routray (@isatyajit) January 31, 2019

If You Do Not Want To Lose Your Vote, Sign Up The Lost Votes Petition

The Times Of India has been instrumental in amplifying the #LostVotes initiative, where it raises its voice in support for all lost votes in the country to turn them into votes that can shape the destiny of the nation.

Here is how you can make your vote count.

• Log on to www.lostvotes.com
• Click the Support the Cause button
• Pledge

The Lost Votes campaign will submit a petition to the Election Commission to make it possible for every Indian to vote irrespective of where he or she may be temporarily located.

The Logical Indian appreciates the effort by The Times Of India and hopes more and more Indians sign the petition to exercise their right to vote from any location in the country.