By Ashraf Padanna/Gulf Times Correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram

A group of former non-resident Indians have announced their candidature in the Kerala civic polls.
Their political outfit, PNP or Pravasi Nivasi Party, has the approval of the Elections Commission of India which allotted the “mobile phone” as their ballot symbol.
“Our contest is more or less symbolic this time, as a prelude to the big fight in the Assembly polls due next year,” said PNP president Vellayani Sreekumar.
“We will field four or five candidates in our strongholds, including Manacaud in the state capital.”
Kerala goes to polls in the first week of November to elect 941 village, 152 block, and 14 district councils. Besides, there are six city corporations and 86 municipal councils under its three-tier self-government system where half the seats are reserved for women.
More than 25mn adult residents will decide the fate of thousands of candidates. The PNP leaders claim that the nearly 5mn who toil outside the state, a majority of them in the Gulf, to sustain the state’s vulnerable economy have no say.
“These politicians disenfranchise us the moment we leave home. They blame each other for denying us a chance to vote online too,” Sreekumar said.
He pointed out that the state government could have brought in the legal framework for the online ballot that Gujarat implemented five years ago without hassles. The system is still in place there.
Non-resident citizens can register online and cast their vote from the comforts of their homes wherever they were using a secured one-time password (OTP) like banking transactions.
The State Election Commission rejected the Kerala government’s proposal saying it came too late and without making the adequate legal framework. Besides, the opposition parties opposed the proposal saying it could be misused.