According to a person from Chengalpattu, whose relatives were heading to their hometown to vote, the bus they had booked their tickets on was supposed to reach Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus in Kilambakkam by 9.30 pm on Wednesday. They left for the bus terminus on two-wheelers to avoid getting stuck in traffic. But even that did not help. Finally, they walked to the terminus, along with a large number of people who had the same idea.

When they finally reached there, however, the bus was nowhere close. The bus that was coming from Koyambedu in the heart of Chennai was caught in traffic jams along the way, literally crawling every inch like thousands of others on the road. “It was 3.30 am by the time it reached,” he said.

At many places, including Kilambakkam, the torturously endless wait in sweltering weather turned enthusiasm into white-hot anger. They vied with one another to climb on the buses that managed to reach, quickly filling up the small available space within.

The ones who couldn’t turned their ire on the transport staff, arguing and shouting at them. Some of them made reels and put them on social media; their comments ranged from criticism over the inadequate number of services to alleging a conspiracy to stop people from voting for Vijay. The DMK supporters hit back, alleging the critics of being ignorant about the situation during every festival/long weekend.