In 2022, the Union government informed the Supreme Court that steps would be taken to enable proxy voting for NRIs, but no concrete action has followed.
Published Nov 13, 2025 | 10:42 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 13, 2025 | 10:42 AM
File photo of voters in Kerala. (CEOKeralaOffice/Facebook)
Synopsis: Despite the large number of expatriates, only 2,844 have registered to vote in the upcoming local body elections in Kerala. Officials said the low turnout is largely due to the high cost of air travel and the practical difficulties of returning home solely to cast a vote.
Despite an estimated 22 lakh Malayalis living abroad, only 2,844 expatriates have registered to vote in the upcoming local body polls in Kerala. Officials said the low turnout is largely due to the high cost of air travel and the practical difficulties of returning home solely to cast a vote.
For years, expatriates have been demanding mechanisms such as proxy voting or e-postal voting to help them exercise their franchise without having to travel back.
The local body polls in Kerala will take place in two phases — 9 November and 11 November.
The idea of proxy voting gained traction in 2018, when the Lok Sabha passed the Proxy Vote Bill, which would have allowed Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to nominate someone in India to vote on their behalf. However, the Bill stalled in the Rajya Sabha and has since made no progress.
In 2022, the Union government informed the Supreme Court that steps would be taken to enable proxy voting for NRIs, but no concrete action has followed.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had also recommended, five years ago, that NRIs be included in the e-postal voting system currently available to government employees serving in Indian missions abroad. There were also proposals to allow voting at Indian embassies, but these too have yet to materialise.
As the state prepares for local polls, the lack of progress on NRI voting rights continues to leave several lakhs of Malayali expatriates disappointed.
According to the ECI, the notification for the local body polls will be issued on 14 November for 1,199 local bodies covering 23,576 wards, including 941 grama panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 86 municipalities and six corporations.
The last date for filing nomination papers is 21 November, and scrutiny will take place on 22 November. The deadline for withdrawing nominations is 24 November.
Voting will be held in two phases: on 9 December in the southern districts – Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam – and on 11 December in the remaining seven districts – Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.
Counting of votes will take place on 13 December, with the entire election process to be completed by 18 December. The model code of conduct is already in force, freezing new announcements as campaign engines start up in panchayats and city wards across the state.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman.)
