Vijay Urges ECI to Extend Polling, Deploy Buses for Stranded Voters

Writing to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Vijay alleged an intentional misplanning by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, calling it an assault on the fundamental right to vote. He also flagged a delay in the polling process at several polling booths.

He wrote, "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 alleged that the buses have been requisitioned for poll duty without parallel arrangements for voters to travel.

"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. This systemic failure 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 wrote.

He requested the ECI 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 claimed long queues and a slow polling process and asked the ECI to designate a supervisory officer.

"There are reports from the polling stations of voters waiting in long queues to cast their votes, but the polling process is slow. Such delays would discourage and may affect voter turnout. There should be a designated supervisory officer to visit polling booths regularly and ensure that the voting process is conducted efficiently and without unnecessary delays," he urged.

Demanding polling extension till 8 pm today, the TVK leader wrote, "In view of the large surge of delayed voters due to travel disruptions, and long-queue waiting imperatives, polling must be extended till 8:00 pm across all affected constituencies. This extension is well within the Commission's powers and has been exercised in the past for far lesser disruptions. It is essential to allow every voter who reaches the polling station premises by the revised closing time to cast their vote without compromise"

"The right to vote is the bedrock of Indian democracy. Any failure to act swiftly today on the above aspects immediately will not only suppress voter turnout but will erode public faith in the electoral process itself. The Election Commission cannot remain a mute spectator while thousands are denied their constitutional right on polling day," the letter read.

Polling for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections began today amid tight security. At 9 am, Tamil Nadu recorded 17.69 per cent voter turnout.

Tiruppur district recorded the highest turnout with 20.38 per cent voting, while Chennai district registered a turnout of 16.51 per cent, and Erode recorded 19.55 per cent turnout.

Vijay cast his vote at the Neelankarai polling booth. Actor-turned-politician Vijay is contesting from the Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East constituencies.

In Perambur, Vijay is pitted against DMK heavyweight RD Shekar, who recorded a landslide victory in the last elections by a margin of 54,976 votes against AIADMK's NR Dhanapalan. In Tiruchirappalli East, he is contesting against sitting DMK MLA Inigo Irudayaraj S, who won with a huge margin of 53,797 votes in the 2021 elections.

The counting of votes will take place on May 4.

- ANI