Citing transport disruptions and slow polling that left voters stranded and queues moving at a slow pace across parts of Tamil Nadu,TVK president Vijay on polling day urged the Election Commission of India to extend voting hours by two hours.
In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar , Vijay said thousands of voters were unable to reach polling booths due to lack of buses at key terminals in Chennai and other parts of the state. He pointed to crowding at Koyambedu, Kilambakkam and Madhavaram bus stands, stating that voters travelling from within the state, other states and abroad were left without transport after buses were diverted for poll duty.
In the letter, 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."
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