Punjab’s strong non-resident community has arrived in hordes from Canada, Britain, the US and other countries for the February 4 assembly elections in the state.
All major parties are paying special attention to the diaspora — or non-resident Indians (NRIs) — who have arrived here as the community is believed to have an influence on voting prospects in Punjab. In the past over one year, not only have NRIs extended support to the three major parties in the fray — the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal — but are also believed to have made major financial contributions to the parties.
Not only this, top leaders of all parties, be it AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Congress President and former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, and Akali Dal President and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, have all travelled abroad in the last one year to woo NRIs.
“The biggest gainer from the NRI support in recent months has been the AAP. A large number of NRIs, particularly from Canada, are already in Punjab to campaign for the party. The NRIs have funded the AAP in a big way,” Harbaksh Singh, a NRI based in Vancouver-Canada, told IANS.
Full Article: NRIs Make Their Voices Heard in Punjab Elections.