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By Sreehari Paliath, IndiaSpend
Kartik Naik is in his 40s, and works as a mason’s helper in the Nettoor area, in Kerala’s Ernakulam, where mostly Odia male migrant labourers reside. As polling for his state’s assembly and for the Lok Sabha nears, Kartik says that he does not plan to return to his hometown of Surada in Ganjam district, 1,800 km away, to vote. “I cannot leave my job and go home just to vote, and spend money on travel and other expenses,” said Kartik.
Unlike him, his roommate Babulal Naik was returning home after a year for a much-needed break, he said, which also happens to coincide with elections. In nearly three decades, the roommates--both from the Scheduled Caste Pano community in Odisha--have worked in Surat, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Ernakulam.
Migrant workers contribute 10% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But exercising their vote during elections is a struggle for many.
Read Full Story https://theprobe.in/electoral-bonds/migrant-workers-struggle-to-be-counted-during-elections-4504019