 Only males over 21 years of age, who were British subjects and resident continuously in Fiji for 12 months, able to read and write in either English, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu or Gurmukhi, in possession of freehold or leasehold in Fiji valued at least 5 pounds per annum for 6 months before the closing of the register or had cash income of not less than 75 pounds per annum or held a government or municipal licence worth at least 5 pounds were eligible to vote.Consequently, only 1,404 out of an Indo-Fijians population of 75,000 were registered to vote.James Ramchandar Rao contested the Eastern Indian Division, which included the islands of Vanua Levu and the Lau and Lomaiviti Group of Islands.