Polls 2011: Only one NRI to cast vote in West Bengal election

Only one non-resident Indian has registered his name for the forthcoming West Bengal assembly polls after the election commission's (EC) announcement that NRIs would be allowed to vote if they register their names in the voters list.

Sujit Dutta, an NRI living in Oman, has registered his name in the voters list and he would be the only person who can exercise his franchise in the six-phase polling starting next week, additional chief electoral officer NK Sahana told PTI.

Originally a resident of Behala, 47-year-old Dutta can cast his vote at Behala West constituency where opposition leader Partha Chattopadhyay will try his luck in the third phase of the polling on April 27.

"After the notification from the chief electoral officer on February 18, Dutta applied to the electoral registration officer of Behala West assembly constituency in the third week of March to enter his name in the voters list as an NRI," an election commission officer said.

"After the application, it takes at least a week for the name to be enrolled in the list, and this has to be done before the last date of nomination for the assembly seat concerned," the officer said.

Asked whether there was any possibility for fresh registration, he said, "The notification for the sixth phase of election has been completed on April 14 and the last date of nomination is April 21. So there is no possibility of fresh registration of NRI voters."