Kerala Assembly elections: Indians in UAE face 2.3L fares home
If you're an Indian living in the UAE and hoping to fly home for the Kerala Assembly elections, things just got a lot harder.
Airfares have spiked to around ₹2.3 lakh (about 9,000 dirhams), thanks to flight disruptions and rerouted paths caused by the West Asia conflict.
Airlines say higher operational costs and fewer available flights are behind these sky-high ticket prices.
Over 2.3L Kerala voters abroad struggle
More than 2.3 lakh registered Kerala voters living abroad, many in the Gulf, are now struggling with travel plans.
In previous years, special vote flights helped them get home, but those options are mostly off the table this time.
With polling on April 9, some are booking pricey tickets or taking long detours through cities like Bengaluru just to cast their vote.
All these hurdles might mean fewer Gulf-based Keralites will be able to participate in this year's election.