Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Apr 26: The country's largest festival, the Lok Sabha elections, is underway across the nation. Polling for this monumental event is taking place on Friday, April 26, in the coastal districts. A significant number of natives from the coastal regions, who work in other states and districts, have returned to their native places to exercise their voting rights. However, there appears to be a lack of interest among Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in participating in the elections this year.

With over 5.5 lac voters from the coastal regions working in Gulf countries, the turnout of NRIs has been notably low compared to previous elections. During the last assembly elections, only 2,317 NRIs cast their votes. The proximity of the Lok Sabha elections to the recent Karnataka assembly elections seems to have deterred many voters from bearing the high costs of airfare to participate in the polling process. Additionally, families with ties to the Gulf region often plan visits to their native places during the school holidays in June, further reducing the inclination to travel for voting.

Despite these challenges, a significant portion of voters from the coastal districts, including those working in outstation districts of Karnataka and other states, have made the effort to return to their native places to cast their invaluable votes. The increased demand for private bus services has led to a fourfold rise in fares, while the railway department has organized special trains to facilitate voters' journeys to their hometowns.

Both major political parties have organized private buses to transport their supporters from Bengaluru to the polling stations. With April 26 being the polling day and April 27 marking the fourth Saturday, followed by April 28, a Sunday, many voters have opted to extend their stay by taking two additional days off, capitalizing on the May 1 holiday for Labour Day. They plan to return to their places of work on May 2.