PANAJI
Rising outmigration either for academic or employment among Goans is high because of which the number living abroad while registering themselves as voters in Goa has steadily risen every year since 2014 but their apathy towards actually exercising their right to vote at elections has not.
Data recently uploaded by the Election Commission of India shows that in the recent Lok Sabha election held in May-June this year, 84 Goans living abroad were registered as 'overseas voters' but not a single one of them actually voted.
In three consecutive Lok Sabha elections since 2014, only one overseas elector has cast his vote “ in 2019.
In 2014, 27 Goans were registered as 'overseas voters' and not a single one of them voted. Ditto was the case with this year's Lok Sabha poll where 84 were registered as overseas voters.
The number of Goans registered as overseas voters spiked nearly two-and-half times to 68 but only one of them voted in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Nationally across the country, 1.19 lakh citizens were registered as overseas voters and 2,958 of them exercised their franchise in this year's Lok Sabha election.
The highest number of registered overseas voters’ State-wise hail from Kerala at 89,839 and 2,670 of them voted. Andhra Pradesh comes a distant second with 7,927 overseas voters registered and 195 exercising the right at the Lok Sabha poll.
ECI rules require an Indian citizen above the age of 18 years who resides abroad either for employment, business or other reasons to register as an 'overseas voter' to retain his or her franchise. The individual requires to have an Indian Passport and can get registered by filing the application online on the ECI's website.
None of 78 voted in 2022 assembly poll too
PANAJI: In the 2022 assembly elections, 78 people were registered as overseas voters. This included 56 males and 22 females. None of these 78 overseas voters had exercised their right to vote in the Lok Sabha elections.
