Bengaluru, September 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Karnataka Rajyotsava Award recipient and senior NRI community member Mohamad Meeran Saheb has urged the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to provide Non-Resident Indians with a one-year window to complete voter list verification and submit the documents required to establish their eligibility.
In a representation to the CEO, Meeran, who has been residing in Dubai since 1974, said several young NRIs, particularly from Udupi and Karwar districts, had approached him after their names were deleted from electoral rolls or kept under objection.
According to Meeran, some NRIs had already contacted Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and were reportedly advised to travel to India before September 20 to produce additional documents and proof relating to their citizenship and other particulars.
While acknowledging the need for accurate electoral rolls and compliance with Election Commission requirements, he said NRIs who had lived abroad for decades often faced practical difficulties in producing old documents at short notice.
He noted that some NRIs had recently returned to their countries of residence after summer holidays in India, while others were living abroad with school-going children. Travelling to India within a few weeks, he said, could also impose a significant financial burden.
Meeran also cited the prevailing geopolitical situation and said some NRIs might only be able to visit India during the December winter holidays, while others could have to wait until their annual leave in June or July next year.
He proposed that NRIs whose names had been deleted, kept under objection or required verification be given at least one year to complete the process.
Instead of requiring them to appear in India before September 20, Meeran suggested that applicants be allowed to submit an initial representation online through the appropriate Election Commission or BLO mechanism and upload the documents currently available with them for preliminary verification.
He further suggested that authorities provide applicants with a clear list of missing documents or deficiencies, enabling them to appear personally before the concerned BLO or election authority during their next visit to India within the one-year period.
Meeran also urged authorities to explore, wherever legally and administratively possible, verification through Indian Missions and Consulates abroad or other authorised mechanisms.
He stressed that eligible voters should not permanently lose an opportunity to restore their names merely because they could not travel to India within a few weeks.
“The objective should remain the same: to maintain a genuine, accurate and legally compliant electoral roll while ensuring that eligible citizens are given a fair and practical opportunity to establish their identity, citizenship and eligibility,” he said.
Meeran said a one-year facilitation and verification window would help thousands of NRIs from Karnataka and other parts of India complete the required formalities during their normal annual leave without undue hardship.
Meeran, trustee of Green Valley Institute, has contributed to the development of Shiroor by providing services including ambulances and garbage trucks. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he also helped several Indians return home from the UAE and facilitated their travel back to India.
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