HYDERABAD: During the T20 finals between India and Australia in Sydney on Tuesday, among the sea of blue and yellow-clad spectators, a banner stood out from the rest. The placard painted in green read, “Vote for AIMIM. Vote For Kite. Best wishes from Kangaroo Developers and Builders. Branches in Hyderabad, India and Sydney.”
The message is a reflection of the Telangana diaspora’s growing interest in the politics of the State as it prepares for the December 7 Assembly elections. NRI supporters of all major parties, including the TRS and the BJP, are trying to do their bit to ensure that their party is successful.
Placards supporting TRS, too, were spotted during some matches in Australia. The TRS recently launched its NRI campaign with a core people from New Jersey, Pennsylavania and Delaware attending its first meeting. Its coordinator, Mahesh Bigala, spoke about the State government’s development activities. A few days back, the TRS campaign “war room” in Denmark was launched through Skype.
Many BJP supporters from the USA also voiced their support for the party. “We will work for the development of Telangana the way PM Modi developed the BJP without corruption, nepotism and without discrimination,” Krishna, a resident of New Jersey said.
A Telugu from Texas Express got in touch with urged Telanganites to vote for the BJP and to help it win by a big margin. The diaspora’s most creative campaign, so far, was done by the UAE and Saudi Arabian leg of the AIMIM party. They organised ‘Asaduddin Owaisi Football Cup’ in Jeddah. “The event was prepared with the intention of supporting our community and strengthening the party in the elections,” a supporter said.