Campaign events, cheap tickets: Indian parties woo Gulf voters for election
Al Jazeera
As the southern Indian state of Kerala votes on April 26, thousands are flying back from the Gulf to cast their ballot.
Thiruvananthapuram, India – The hum of conversation was replaced by a crescendo of high-pitched political slogans in the packed auditorium, as Shafi Parambil took to the stage.
The 41-year-old politician from the Indian National Congress launched into a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kerala state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. “Every vote counts and I need your wholehearted support,” he said as he concluded his speech.
It could have been a typical campaign event – ahead of April 26, when the southern Indian state of Kerala votes in the second of the country’s seven-phase national election – except it was not. Parambil was addressing supporters in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, 2,800km (1,739 miles) away from Vadakara, the parliamentary seat in Kerala he is contesting.
And he is not alone.
The Gulf region, which hosts more than 2 million immigrants from Kerala, is witnessing intense physical and virtual election campaigns, with contestants like Parambil vying for their votes and community groups launching initiatives to help expatriates fly back to India to cast their ballots.
