Postal delays jeopardise expat voters in Kerala elections; demand for email facility

Kannur: Expatriates continue to face difficulties in getting their names added to voter lists for local body elections in Kerala. Although the application can be initiated online through the State Election Commission’s website, applicants must still send a printout of the form along with copies of document, including self-attested passport pages, either by post or in person to the returning officer of their native local body.

The last date to submit applications for inclusion in the voter list was Tuesday, with a deadline of October 21 to deliver the physical documents to the respective panchayat offices. However, many expatriates have raised concerns that documents sent by post from abroad are unlikely to reach their hometowns in time.

Sending the required documents from Gulf countries via registered post costs around ₹1,000 and can take over three weeks. Speed post, while faster at about five working days, costs upwards of ₹2,400. Courier services offer similar rates. For those who attempt in-person submission, carrying the original passport is mandatory.

Expatriates are urging the authorities to allow submissions via e-mail. PP Hareesh Kumar, office-bearer of Indian Cultural and Arts Society(INCAS) Qatar, said many expatriates, particularly in Gulf countries, find it difficult to visit post offices during working hours. “This time, many have not been able to send documents by post within the specified deadline. Expatriates also want the option to submit documents through relatives in India if e-mail submissions are not permitted,” he added.

The draft voter list for the local body elections, released in September, included only 2,087 expatriates, with Kozhikode recording the highest number at 902, followed by Kannur with 351 and Malappuram with 297. By comparison, in the last Lok Sabha elections, 89,839 expatriates were on the Kerala voter list, of whom only 2,670 cast their votes.