Political affiliates of the Indian Union Muslim League and the Congress that function as cultural organisations in the Gulf nations will help Malayali expats fly to India to cast their votes.

The organisations will provide air tickets to people who want to cast their votes but can’t afford the cost of travel.

The ruling and Opposition parties in Kerala expect a large number of Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs), especially those living in the Gulf nations, to visit home during the Lok Sabha elections.

Kerala’s expats who live in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations either tweak their travel schedules to arrive ahead of the polling date, April 26 for this election, or make short trips to vote and return to the country they stay.

Those who travel home for Eid and Vishu (April 14), two of the biggest festivals for Muslims and Hindus, intend to stay a little longer for the elections, as not all can afford to buy expensive air tickets just to cast their votes.

Puthur Rahman, the president of the UAE chapter of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), an associate of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), told The Telegraph over the phone from Dubai that several Malayali voters would be flown down ahead of the elections.

“We are organising air tickets on regular flights from Ras Al-Khaimah (one of the seven emirates in the Gulf state) to Kozhikode. I have a list of 75 voters who would be travelling to Kerala to cast their votes,” said Rahman, adding the number would swell closer to the polling date.

Since nothing remotely resembling political parties is allowed in the GCC nations, where a majority of Indian expatriates are from politically active Kerala, they register cultural organisations based on their political affiliations back home.

While the more prominent pro-Congress cultural organisations in the UAE are the Indian Cultural & Arts Society (Incas) and Dubai Priyadarshini, the KMCC that has separate wings in other Gulf nations is linked to the IUML. The CPM, too, has several such outfits such as the Kerala Arts Lovers’ Association in Dubai and Kuwait, Overseas Malayali Association in Dubai, and Kairali in Oman, among others.

However, unlike the 2021 Assembly elections when the KMCC had chartered three flights to fly about 700 voters to Kerala, they would provide the NRKs with air tickets this time.

“Many of them who want to visit home and vote can’t afford to buy air tickets. So, we provide the tickets without looking at their political allegiance,” he said, adding that the other cultural organisations were also doing their bit.

The reason behind opting for Ras Al Khaimah as the departing airport is because of the availability of cheaper air tickets.