Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana, confusion has been triggered among Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from Hyderabad after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that a passport has never been proof of citizenship.
Speaking to Siasat.com, an NRI from the city said that after the MEA statement, confusion prevails among many about the status of passports in the ongoing SIR.
Hyderabad NRIs can use passport during SIR
Following the row triggered by the MEA statement, Election Commission officials clarified that Indian passports continue to be among the 12 valid supporting documents required by voters to prove their eligibility to be on the voters’ list under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
During the Bihar SIR, Assam’s special revision, and subsequent phases of electoral roll revision, passports have consistently been listed as one of the 12 documents that individuals can submit when applying to register or maintain their status on the electoral rolls.
The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) examines one of the indicative documents to decide whether a person is eligible to be on the voters’ list.
How NRIs can participate in the exercise
Hyderabad NRIs who are not in India can either fill the SIR enumeration forms online (click here) or have their relatives in India submit the forms on their behalf. During the notice period, they can submit their passport to prove their eligibility.
However, in order to fill the form online, the name on their voter ID card needs to be exactly the same as that on their Aadhaar card, as they need to e-sign while submitting the form on the ECI website.
If relatives in India decide to fill the offline forms on behalf of the NRIs, they need to sign the form and mention their relationship with the electors.
