The Election Commission of India has issued an order to this effect which would appear on its website in a couple of days. Those who wish to enroll from abroad need to send their applications by post which would be verified by the election authorities with their relatives back home.

“For overseas electors we have made it very easy. On the basis of self-attestation they can apply by post or if they are present in person they can bring the passport to show it to election registration officer, normally the Tehsildar or Block Development Officer and they will be registered,” Chief Election Commissioner Y.S. Qureshi told reporters here Friday.

The NRIs were enfranchised recently through a legislation by the Parliament and they are going to vote for the first time in the staggered assembly elections in the states of Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in April and May.

No postal ballot or e-voting is allowed for the time being and the repose to the notification for enrollment for voting while on vacation remained lukewarm as confusion prevailed over its procedure.

“As of day before yesterday, there were 7,120 applications from the NRIs and nearly 7,000 of them applied in person. Very few applications are coming by post,” said Qureshi.

All those who have completed 18 years of age on Jan. 1, 2011 and do not have citizenship of any other country can apply for enrollment to the Tehsildar of the region shown in their passports where they will vote.

The applications should be submitted in the Form 6A which can be downloaded from the website ceo.kerala.gov.in and submitted in person directly or by post to the registration officer of their constituency along with relevant documents.

The postal applications should contain photocopies of pages of passports containing the photograph and all particulars of the applicant and the page containing the valid visa endorsement duly attested by Indian missions.

A recent photograph of passport size, colored with a light background, preferably white, showing the full race of the applicant should be affixed on the application. The spelling of the name should match with that of the passport.

The application should be accompanied by self-attested photocopies of the relevant pages of the passport. The original passport should also be produced along with the application for verification by the registration officer if applying in person. The passport will be returned immediately.

After the enrollment, voters will be able to cast their votes in elections if they are physically present in the polling station along with the original passport on the day of polling. Addresses of the registration officers of each of the 140 assembly constituencies are also posted on the official website of the CEO.

The CEC also spelt out the rules for election expenditure of candidates. Separate bank accounts should be opened for expenditure for each candidate. There would be flying squads going around with video cameras to see how expenditure is incurred.

“This account can be a joint account along with the polling agent so that the work goes on smoothly,” he said. “Banks have been instructed to facilitate opening of this account without any difficulty immediately and also to set up separate counters for encashing those checks so that electioneering is not disrupted.”