Announcing the decision, Tamil Nadu Ration Shop Employees' Association general secretary Dinesh Kumar said the protest was triggered by the government's failure to act on a key electoral assurance made in 2021 and warned that 1.5 lakh family members of 30,000 workers would skip polls.

"The DMK had promised to consolidate ration shops functioning under multiple departments and establish an exclusive department for the PDS. Five years on, that assurance has not moved beyond paper," he said.

The association said nearly 30,000 workers, who had supported the promise during the last Assembly polls, now feel "betrayed" and continue to work under fragmented administrative control.

Highlighting their role during crises, Kumar said ration shop employees had ensured doorstep delivery of food grains and relief materials during the COVID-19 pandemic and floods, often at personal risk. "We have functioned as the government's field interface, delivering every welfare scheme to the people. Yet, our long-pending demand has been ignored," he said.

Kumar, however, said the association remains open to reconsidering its stand if any political party formally endorses their demand and offers a clear assurance to establish a separate department for the PDS. "Should any party commit to fulfilling our long-pending demand, we will review our decision and extend our support accordingly," he said.

Calling it a collective decision, the association warned that around 30,000 employees and their family members, amounting to nearly 1.5 lakh votes, would boycott the election.

"We consider this a breach of trust. Having come to power on promises that included our demands, the government has failed to honour them. We will use this election to register our protest," Kumar added.