Lok Sabha polls: Many flying in from abroad

BENGALURU: People from Karnataka who moved to distant lands to study or work are flying back in droves for polling on April 18 and 23. They said they don’t want to miss the chance to pick future leaders..
Godwin Quadras, 44, who runs his IT development firm in Saudi Arabia and has never missed coming to hometown Udupi to vote, be it assembly elections of Lok Sabha polls, will return to vote on April 18.
“I want to ensure we have good leadership in Udupi. I had come down for the 2018 elections and all those before it as well,” he said.
Quadras said several Kannadigas in Saudi Arabia are unable to come home due to skyrocketing airfares.“For the 2018 assembly polls, more people had flown down as there were many sponsors. This time, that number is low,” he added.
Anusha Mattur Prasanna, who hails from Mattur, Shivamogga, and studies at a university in Canada, is returning home to exercise her franchise on April 23.
She says social media helped her keep track of the developments in her country. “I get all my updates through news websites and Facebook. The politicians who go on Facebook Live showcase the developments they have brought about and my parents keep me informed,” added Mattur.
Rahul Jasti, an artist from Gangavati in Koppal, is flying from Australia to vote. “I cast my vote in the last Lok Sabha polls and I do not want to miss this election. The current government is doing good work and I want to help it win again,” he said, adding that he has used up all his flying privileges for his poll visits. “The country’s developments are being recognised at the global level and everyone including my foreign friends are talking about it,” he said.