The ‘place of birth’ issue related to Form 6A, the form for enrollment of overseas electors in the elctoral roll, came up at a meeting with organisations representing expatriate Keralites chaired by Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar, on Friday.
Mr. Kelkar addressed the online meeting, arranged though the Loka Kerala Sabha, in connection with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. The organisations reportedly sought clarity on the hurdle faced by citizens born outside India in filling up the form.
Mr. Kelkar infomed the organisations that steps will be taken to resolve technical issues related to Form 6A.
Earlier, political parties had repeatedly drawn the Election Commission’s attention to the need for a ‘Born outside India’ option along with the list of Indian States. The lack of such an option makes it impossible for Indian citizens born abroad to full up Form 6A, according to them. In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday, P.K. Kunhalikutty, MLA, had drawn attention to this issue. Mr. Kunhalikutty had also pointed out in his letter that despite the lapse of nearly 15 days out of the stipulated thirty-day period for filing claims, the “anomaly” in Form 6A and in the online portal persisted.
More than 100 representatives of various organisations attended Friday’s online meeting, Mr. Kelkar’s office said. The CEO explained to the representatives that the overseas electors and VIPs can complete the verification process by submitting the necessary documents without appearing for hearings in person. This mechanism has become operational on ERONET of the EC, he said.
More meetings will be held with organisations representing overseas electors if required, Mr. Kelkar said.
Published – January 09, 2026 10:13 pm IST
