Polls fever grips Indian diaspora as parties find ways to woo them

Those of other citizenships also courted owing to their close family links in India

- Debarshi Dasgupta and Rohini Mohan

Gathered against the iconic Big Ben in London recently were a motley group of Indian-origin people with one common cause re-elect Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in India.

They waved national flags along with saffron-colored flags of the BJP, adding a dash of colour to the overcast British sky, and chanted slogans in Hindi.

"Ab ki baar, 400 paar (This time, 400-plus)," they shouted, echoing the BJP-led alliance's goal of winning more than 400 of the 543 parliamentary seats in the general election that began on April 19 and ends on June 1.

These non-resident Indian (NRI) citizens as well as other people of Indian origin (PIO) had gathered on April 28 for a "Run for Modi" event in London, organised by Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) United Kingdom, a group that campaigns overseas for the party.

It is just one of the many ways that Indian political parties and their partner groups abroad are drumming up support among the 18-million-plus strong Indian diaspora across the world, relaying the election fever through events including car rallies, poetry readings and conferences.

While only Indian citizens registered on electoral rolls are allowed to vote, even PIOs, who are citizens of other countries, are courted because of their close family connections in India.

More than four million PIOs hold the Overseas Citizenship of India card, allowing them a lifetime entry to the country along with benefits such as being able to own land and make other investments.

Indians living abroad also sent around US$125 billion (S$169 billion) in remittances in 2023 to support their families and the country's economy, giving them added political heft.