Overseas Indians displayed significant enthusiasm for registering as voters, with nearly 1.2 lakh enrolling in the electoral rolls. However, only a small fraction traveled to India to vote in this year’s Lok Sabha elections.
According to data from the Election Commission (EC), 1,19,374 people registered as overseas electors in 2024, marking an increase from 99,844 in 2019. Kerala led with the highest number of registrations at 89,839.
Despite this, only 2,958 overseas voters participated in the elections, with a vast majority—2,670—hailing from Kerala.
States like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu reported no turnout from overseas electors.
In Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, only two of 885 registered overseas voters cast their ballots, while in Maharashtra, only 17 of 5,097 did so.
Although there was a rise of over 19,500 registered overseas voters compared to the 2019 elections, their overall participation remained dismal.
While “NRI voters” is a common term, the EC officially refers to them as overseas electors—Indian citizens residing abroad who are eligible to vote in Lok Sabha, assembly, and other direct elections.
Under current electoral laws, registered NRI voters must travel to their respective constituencies in India to vote, presenting their original passports as identification.
In Andhra Pradesh, 7,927 overseas electors were registered, but only 195 made the trip to vote.
States like Assam, Bihar, and Goa saw zero participation, with none of their 19, 89, and 84 registered overseas voters, respectively, casting their ballots.
In August 2018, the 16th Lok Sabha passed a bill to allow proxy voting for eligible overseas Indians. However, the bill did not progress to the Rajya Sabha.
In 2020, the EC proposed extending the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS)—currently available to service voters—to eligible overseas Indian voters.
The proposal, which requires amendments to election rules, remains under consideration by the government.
The EC noted receiving numerous requests from the Indian diaspora for voting via postal ballots, citing factors such as high travel costs, work commitments, and education as barriers to in-person voting.
