TAMIL NADU, (India): Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay on Thursday (April 23) wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, urging him to extend the duration for polling by two hours as he alleged “complete transport paralysis” in the state. He alleged intentional misplanning by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, terming it an assault on the fundamental right to vote.
“I am writing to you in a state of deep concern and indignation over the complete transport paralysis. Thousands of voters are stranded at bus terminals in Chennai, and similarly in other metro cities across Tamil Nadu, with no buses or alternative public transport available to reach their designated polling booths. This is not a minor inconvenience-it seems an intentional attempt at misplanning by the State Transport corporation and administration, which is an outright assault on the fundamental right to vote guaranteed under the Constitution of India,” he said.
He said that the scenes at Chennai’s Koyambedu, Kilambakkam, and Madhavaram bus stands, and equivalent terminals elsewhere, are unacceptable on election day.
“Thousands of citizens who have travelled from all over the world and from various states and from within the cities of Tamil Nadu, or are attempting to travel to exercise their franchise, have been left helpless due to the heavy requisitioning of buses and vehicles for poll duty without parallel arrangements for ordinary voters,” the TVK chief alleged.
Calling it a “systemic failure”, Vijay added that it has “the potential to effectively disenfranchise a large section of the electorate, striking at the very heart of free and fair elections that the Election Commission is constitutionally mandated to conduct under Article 324.”
He urged the CEC to direct the state transport authorities and district election officers in Chennai and all affected cities to immediately press additional government buses, shuttles, and other vehicles into service exclusively for ferrying stranded voters from bus terminals to polling stations.
“This must be done within the next few hours through coordinated announcements at terminals, via media, and through the ECT’s own apps and helplines. No voter should be turned away or forced to miss their democratic duty due to administrative negligence,” he added.
Polling for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections is underway amid tight security. At 9 am, Tamil Nadu recorded 17.69 per cent voter turnout. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is contesting from the Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East constituencies. - The Statesman/ANN
