Addressing nearly 1,500 delegates from over 50 countries at the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conclave on Friday, the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that the long-held reassurance of giving voting rights to non-resident Indians (NRIs) will probably be materialized by the government in time for the next general election.

In his address, the Prime Minister said: “I recognize the legitimate desire of Indians living abroad to exercise their franchise and to have a say in who governs India... In fact, I would go a step further and ask why more overseas Indians should not return home to join politics and public life as they are increasingly doing in business and academia.”

Further adding that India seeks the “active involvement” of NRIs in stepping up the country’s pace of economic and social development, Singh said that the voting rights would be extended to Indian passport holders; thereby making holders of Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cards ineligible for casting their vote.

There have been expectations galore that NRIs will finally get a chance to cast their votes in India’s general election next time round, more so as the Law Ministry is at work towards amending the definition of the ‘Indian citizen’ in the Representation of Peoples Act from the present “ordinary resident” to a much wider term that would include Indians living abroad.