People from Karnataka who are living abroad are flying into the country this time to perform their voting duty. Those who are in Canada, Turkey, Indonesia, the UAE, and Singapore have come down to the State to cast their votes on Wednesday.
Kishore Chandra Prasad is a 70-year-old doctor who is now in Dubai. This is the third time he will be travelling to Mangaluru to vote. “From the time I was in college until now, I have never missed an election. I had come down to vote during the two elections since 2014,” he said. When asked about his expectations from the new government, he said that he hopes for lesser corruption within the system.
Many such visitors took to social media to announce that they had travelled for election while also declaring their allegiance to leaders and parties. “Bengaluru, Here I come to vote!” tweeted Karthik Ganesh Bhat, who travelled from Vancouver in Canada via Japan.
His post garnered a lot of appreciation for his commitment to voting. “This is absolutely inspiring. Your commitment for India is exemplary,” a user commented.
While a few are coming in specifically for voting, some others have integrated the dates with their annual visit to the country. “I fly to the country once every one or two years to visit my family. This time I planned my leaves so that I can be here to vote. Voting is a privilege we should not miss,” said Namitha. K., who travelled from Indonesia to Mysuru.
The NRIs opined that there should be something similar to postal ballot services so that they get to vote in every election without spending money. “I tell my patients to go to India and vote, but they are reluctant as they would have to incur expenditure. There are a lot of Indians here and a facility to vote from here would be helpful for them,” Dr. Prasad said.
