Subdued NRI sentiment, yet Punjabi diaspora holds sway

Of the 2.04 crore electorate in Punjab, there are only a minuscule 393 registered Punjabi Non-Resident Indian (NRI) voters. Yet, Punjab’s powerful NRI community holds sway over voters in several parts of Punjab, especially the Doaba region which has a sizeable Punjabi diaspora.

In the previous general election in 2014, not one NRI turned up to cast vote. Even as the number of registered NRI voters have more than doubled since last Lok Sabha elections, it remains to be seen whether NRIs turn up to exercise their franchise on May 19.

Political parties are doing everything to garner the support of the NRI community. Politicians have started tapping their NRI contacts to revivify their winning prospect.

In Punjab, especially in the Doaba belt, they say every second household has an NRI, which is why netas can ill-afford to overlook this robust pressure group of sorts. The Punjabi NRI community has been contributing funds and resources for politicians in elections. In many areas in the hinterland, NRIs are the embodiment of change and looked upon as mentors to fulfill dollar dreams galore in this border state.

Subdued response

Their contribution to uplift villages in Punjab by doling out foreign currency for cleanliness and development projects are popular stories that have inspired confidence and faith among locals. This time around, reports from the ground, however, suggest a subdued response from NRIs. Punjab goes to polls in the last phase, exactly a month from today. While it may be still early days to predict the NRI sentiment, politicians are hoping the ‘NRI word’ would count, even if it is strongly exhibited on social media.

In 2014, sizable NRI sentiment was arguably in favour of the greenhorn Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which managed to open its account winning 4 MP seats from Punjab, while it lost all seats across the country. This time, the NRIs appear disillusioned. All mainstream political parties in Punjab - Congress, SAD-BJP combine, the AAP and the Punjab Ekta Manch have their NRI wings actively working to mobilise support.

In November last year, 112 NRI leaders severed ties with the AAP through a joint letter to its convener Arvind Kejriwal after AAP suspended rebel MLAs Sukhpal Khaira and others. On Sunday, over 300 Punjabi NRIs organised a meeting at Canada’s Brampton extending support to the Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA), an alliance of six parties, including Punjabi Ekta Party, NRI Kulbir Sandhu said.