Migrant workers in a flutter!

* Kerala hosts about 40 lakh migrant workers from 25 states.

* CAA cited as a major concern among those returning home to vote.

Making their voices heard

Among the states that supply the most migrant labour in Kerala :-

   * Bengal and Bihar . Will see voting in all remaining five phases.

   * Assam . Votes in phase 3 on 07 May.

   * Orissa. Goes to polls in the last 4 phases.

What's egging them on

   * Regional/family pressure to vote

   * Concerns over Citizenship Amendment Act

   * Election coinciding with annual vacation

   * Job restrictions due to heatwave

State of migrants

   

   * Number 40 lakhs from 25 states

   * One in four employees is a migrant

   * They prop up state's informal sector by spending over 15,000 cr annually

Movement patterns in play

   * According to KHRA (Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association), almost 60-80% of migrant staff

      of its members have left

   * Construction, logistics and manufacturing among other sectors set to be impacted, besides salons

      and stationary shops, say manpower firms

   * Less than 5% to travel for voting

Challenges to voting

  

   * Travel cost

   * Job loss

Expert recommendations

   * Remote voting facility

   * Voting facility for long-term residents in their localities

- If all of them get a chance to vote (in their home states), they can alter election outcomes. Migrant 

  workers are opinion leaders in their community

- Mass leave is unprecedented. Most of them cited CAA and family pressure to vote for taking leave.

  Some of the employees took flights home.

Excerpted from Unnikrishnan's article in NIE

Tailpiece.

Got up at 4 to wake up Lekha, Rema and Karthika. Dropped Padmakumar-Rema and Achu-Karthika at the railway station to enable them to board the 0550 h train.

Was ready by a half past 9.

Gireesh comes and repairs the top television having the 'loose contact' problem.