For thousands of migrant workers from Bihar toiling across Tamil Nadu, the thought of returning home to vote in the upcoming assembly elections remains a privilege they cannot afford. Low wages, insecure employment, and the sheer distance, over 2,000 km, make the journey home nearly impossible this poll season.
Ajay Kumar, a construction worker in Chennai, summed up the predicament: “Most of us in the construction sector stay at the site, cook our own food, and eat there. We rarely go out. We work on holidays and sometimes past sunset to earn a little extra for our families. In case I decide to go to Patna, I would need six days for the round trip and a few more to spend with my family. So, I may not go home.”
Like Ajay, many from Bihar’s migrant community have quietly built new lives in Tamil Nadu. Families now stretch from Chennai to Kanyakumari, working in sectors such as coir, rubber gloves, textiles, and domestic labour. Some have enrolled their children in local schools and registered themselves in the state’s electoral rolls, virtually severing their participation in elections back home.
“They’ve even admitted their children to local schools, and a few have registered themselves in the electoral rolls here. So, they are unlikely to vote in Bihar,” said Siluvai Vasthian of the HEAL Movement, an NGO working with marginalised communities.
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Tamil Nadu is home to one of India’s largest migrant populations. According to official records, over 2.51 lakh workers from Bihar are registered in the state, second only to Odisha. Overall, Tamil Nadu has an estimated 35 lakh inter-state migrant workers spread across 38 districts, working in construction, manufacturing, mining, textiles, hospitality, and retail sectors.
A recent State Planning Commission report, Life and Times of Migrant Workers in the Chennai Region 2024–25, observed that the majority of labourers in and around the capital city hail from eastern and northeastern states, especially Bihar, Odisha, and Assam.
The journey home for voting, workers say, is not just about distance, it is about survival. “Going to Bihar would mean losing several days of wages, which I can’t afford,” said Alok, who works at a Chennai hotel. He urged the government to devise a way for migrant workers to vote from their place of work, adding, “It would make a big difference to us.”
For now, thousands of Bihari workers continue to remain politically disconnected, their votes lost to the economics of daily survival.
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