National Action Council for Civil Rights (NACCR) is a strong movement in India fighting for the voting rights of citizens living outside their place of birth in different states of India. In 2007, Rajeev Joseph started this people’s movement co-ordinating people from all over India. A mammoth March was organised to Indian Parliament demanding Voting Rights for all Citizens in November 2007. But the Govt. of India didn’t heed to this genuine demand based the fundamental right of an Indian citizen. For the last three years elaborate preparations are on the way to bring more people from different parts of India to the fold of NACCR. Now the second phase of campaign has started to garner support of central ministers and MPs to bring this issue in the parliament and make requisite amendments in the process of enrolment enabling Voting Rights of All Citizens.
There are several millions of migrants in every state within India doing various kinds of jobs in private as well as government sectors. Out of which below 50 percent are enjoying electoral rights. The rest of them, haven’t got their name enrolled in the voters list. Even if the said number of expatriates are Indian Citizens, their names are not enrolled in the voters list because of mere technical reasons. It is pertinent to mention that, their names are also not included in the voters list at their home state, because they have left the home state years back. The main reason for exclusion is cited as the inability of the person concerned to produce adequate residential proof. It is a sad fact that due to financial problems or changing jobs compels most of the migrants to change their residential addresses from time to time and they are not in a position to reside in the same buildings forever. Even though they are living within the territorial boundaries, a minor change in address may create residential proof problems otherwise they possess own houses. Hence NACCR feels that, the denial of ‘Civil and Constitutional Rights’ to them for want of residential proof is unreasonable.
NACCR demands to mitigate the procedural hindrance to the enrolment in the voters list. Almost all the said expatriates can produce adequate particulars to prove their employment and residence in the concerned state for the last continuing one year or more. Hence it is possible to enrol their names in the voters list on the basis of any valid documents such as Employment Certificate, Bank Statement, Postal Letters, Passport, Driving License, Telephone Bills etc. which would prove they are permanent residents of concerned states as required by law.
NACCR is on its struggling path to ensure that not a single Citizen of India is deprived of his / her constitutional rights merely because of technical reasons.
National Action Council for Civil Rights (NACCR) seriously stands for the ‘Voting Rights’ in its fullest spirit and consider its denial as a violation of the fundamental rights ensured in the Constitution of India. NACCR call for a participation from everybody to make this movement a successful one guaranteeing the democratic rights of a citizen. |
