Election fever grips Indian expats in UAE

Abu Dhabi - The NRI cell is urging people to take leave and go to India to vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

As India is going to polls on April 11 to elect its new government, election fever is gripping the Indian expat community in the UAE.
Political campaigning is in full swing in many emirates and NRI cells of various political parties and social organisations with political affiliations are on an overdrive to fight what they call 'the make-or-break election.'
"Every vote counts in this election. We are working day and night to ensure that every NRI vote in our favour will be cast," N. Harikumar, state convener of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) NRI cell, told Khaleej Times.
Harikumar, who is currently in India campaigning in his home state Kerala, said party sympathisers and workers are actively reaching out to all NRIs in the UAE and across the Gulf countries to vote BJP back to power.
"We are highlighting BJP's track record in the last five years, especially in the field of foreign relations and the welfare of expatriates."
The NRI cell is organising WhatsApp campaigns, urging people to take leave and go to India to vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he said.
With more than 31 million NRIs across the world and 2.6 million Indians residing in the UAE alone, the expat population represents a powerful vote bank that political parties of all colours are trying to woo.
The Indian National Congress even sought suggestions from the NRIs for its election manifesto in the run-up to the 2019 election, and the ruling BJP has active NRI cells in the Middle East, UK and America that are considered as the party's strong support base.
For the 2019 elections that will be conducted in seven phases between April 11 and May 19, overseas Indians are free to vote if they are physically present in the country and have their names registered on the voters' list.
Recently, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has clarified that NRIs cannot cast their votes online. A bill that seeks to give proxy voting rights to NRIs is still pending with the Rajya Sabha.
Free ticket to vote
Getting expatriate voters to go to India to vote is the biggest challenge for political parties, conveners said.
"We are aiming for at least 30,000 potential votes from Abu Dhabi alone for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala," Justin Thomas, managing committee member and media convener of Shakti Theatres - a left-leaning cultural organisation - told Khaleej Times.
"We are setting up meetings and get-togethers targeting expats district-wise. There is a special focus on certain constituencies in Kerala where the fight is neck to neck. We are trying to get as many NRI votes as possible for those candidates."
Thomas, a party worker since college days, said there are many party sympathisers in the UAE who are willing to sponsor tickets to those who cannot afford it.
"We are not chartering flights. But we are trying mass book tickets at affordable rates. There is also a campaign asking people to support others by sponsoring a ticket."
Many political parties are also setting up help desks to register expatriates on the voters' list.
"We have set up a help desk at KSC (Kerala Social Centre) in Abu Dhabi to help enrol people on the voters' list. The desk is open from 7pm to 10pm every day, and people can approach us with all the documents. We will do the online registration for them."
The Indian National Congress (INC) - which is putting up a strong fight to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi - is also counting on NRI votes, said Ashraf Pattambi, state vice-president of the INC's Abu Dhabi wing.
"We are trying to fly at least 75 per cent of Congress voters in the UAE to India. That will make a huge difference," said Pattambi.
"We have opened a help desk at the Indian Islamic Centre to register voters online. Campaigning is in full swing in the UAE. We also have many of our party workers who are already on leave and in India to support the party on the ground."
Incas, a Congress-affiliated organisation is holding a family get-together on April 4 for around 1,000 families.
"The idea is to make a list of people who can travel during the election dates, and mull about the possibility of chartering a flight as per the numbers available," said Pattambi.
"We also have people who are willing to sponsor tickets for our partymen."
Pattambi said active party workers are also contacting their family members and friends on a regular basis in their respective constituencies, urging them to vote for congress.
"We have regular jobs here. But our party men are meeting people face to face and also using social media to reach out to Indians in the UAE to convince them to vote. It is a make-or-break for us." said Pattambi.
How can NRIs vote?
Indian embassy has put out an advisory on its Facebook page with guidelines on NRI voting.
>An applicant shall file an application as prescribed in the Form 6A online on the website https://eci.gov.in, and register as overseas electors
>The application must be supported with one recent photograph, photocopies of passport containing his/her address in India and valid visa
>The process takes around 45 to 50 working days
Every Indian citizen is eligible to vote if:
>Your name is not included in the electoral roll
>You have not acquired the citizenship of any other country
>You are absent in your residence owing to employment, education, or otherwise
anjana@khaleejtimes.com

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