Thiruvananthapuram: NRI’s from Kerala, a majority of whom are presently based in the Gulf nations, returned home in large numbers to cast their votes in April 26 Lok Sabha elections in the state. More than 22,000 NRI’s have already arrived in Kerala in the past two days to exercise their franchise in the high-voltage general elections.
Kerala has 89,839 registered NRI voters, according to the final list of voters published by the office of the state’s Chief Electoral Officer. Around 12 chartered flights were booked for the NRI voters to travel to Kerala. The last chartered flight took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on April 25.
Many expat organizations affiliated with various political parties in Kerala have collaborated with travel agencies to book flight tickets at an affordable rate. According to sources from the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), organizations affiliated to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Congress, like the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre — the biggest Indian diaspora organization in the Gulf; Priyadarshini Congress; and the Qatar-based INCAS; are all engaged in coordinating and facilitating the visits.
The Vatakara seat has a high number of voters settled abroad and in the past two days, it has witnessed over 22,000 returning home to participate in the country’s biggest celebration of democracy. The numbers are expected to increase by Thursday and only then will the final figure emerge.
