Chennai, April 23
Actor and political party leader Vijay, who exercised his right to vote at the Neelankarai polling station in Chennai, on Thursday appealed to the Election Commission to direct state transport authorities and district election officers to immediately press additional government buses into service exclusively for ferrying stranded voters from bus terminals to polling stations.
In a letter to the Election Commission, Vijay claimed that that thousands of voters were 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.
He said that thousands of citizens who had travelled from all over the world and from various states and from within the cities of Tamil Nadu or were attempting to travel to exercise their franchise had been left helpless due to the heavy requisitioning of buses and vehicles for poll duty without parallel arrangements for ordinary voters.
He therefore urged the Election Commission to direct 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.
Meanwhile, Vijay's dad S A Chandrasekhar and his mom Shoba Chandrasekhar, both of whom are well known Tamil film directors, cast their votes at the Government school in Kamaraj Avenue, Adyar.
H Vinoth, who has directed actor Vijay's last film 'Jana Nayagan', cast his vote at the polling station in Anaicut.
While director Pa Ranjith cast his vote at his native place in Karalapakkam, director Atlee cast his vote at Srinivasa Gandhi Nilayam.
Tamil Superstar Rajinikanth and his younger daughter, director Soundarya Rajinikanth, voted at the Stella Maris College for Women, while politician and actor Kamal Haasan arrived with his daughter Shruti Haasan to cast his vote at the Government School in Teynampet.
Vikram cast his vote at The Besant Theosopical Higher Secondary School, while Gautham Karthik, the son of actor and politician Karthik, cast his vote in Stella Maris College.
Ajith, who returned in a hurry to Chennai from Belgium where he was racing along with his car racing team Ajith Kumar Racing, was among the first to turn up to cast his vote in Thiruvanmiyur.
Popular music director Anirudh Ravichander and pan Indian actor Dhanush cast their votes at the St Francis Xavier Middle School in Alwarpet at around 9 am.
Several other stars and film celebrities are making their way along with scores of people across the state to select their representatives from a total of 4,023 candidates.
Polling for the 234-member Assembly is being held on Thursday, with the counting of votes set for May 4.
- IANS
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