The voting rights for the 2.6 million-strong Indian-expat community, one of the largest expat communities in the UAE, received positive reaction from officials and community workers.
India's apex court has yesterday asked the government to "do at the earliest" the necessary amendments in the law to enable NRIs to cast postal and e-ballots in polls in India.
Underlining the importance of the directive, Advocate Hashik T K said that the huge Indian-expat community in UAE can even swing elections in some crucial states.
Anwar Naha, president of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre - which has been campaigning for NRI voting rights - congratulated the government for showing willingness to implement NRI voting from overseas.
Also Read
"Now our request is to ensure a consensus among all political parties for the smooth and secure implementation of the e-ballot voting system," he was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.
T R Remesh, president of Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata Party (OFBJP), welcomed the decision and said that the biggest change the move would bring was that "all Indian expatriates, including the blue-collar workers and middle class people, will get the same importance".
Indian Ambassador to UAE, T P Seetharam said that the mission was awaiting instructions from the government on how to implement the court's directive.