2026 TN elections | Tamil Nadu ration shop staff to boycott 2026 polls over unfulfilled DMK promise

CHENNAI: In a significant development ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, around 30,000 State-run fair price shop employees across Tamil Nadu have decided to boycott voting, alleging that the DMK government failed to honour its key electoral promise of creating a separate department for the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Announcing the decision, Tamil Nadu Ration Shop Employees’ Association president G Rajendran said the move was a collective protest against what he termed a breach of trust. “We supported the promise in 2021 believing that a dedicated department would be created by consolidating ration shops functioning under multiple departments. Five years later, nothing has moved beyond assurances,” he said.

The association said employees, who serve as the last-mile link in delivering essential commodities and welfare schemes, feel betrayed by the government’s inaction. Rajendran noted that ration shop workers had played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, including floods, ensuring uninterrupted supply of food grains and relief materials. “We have functioned as the government’s face at the grassroots. Yet, our long-pending demand has been ignored,” he said.

DMK and it's unfulfilled promises led to the silent protest

Framing the boycott as a silent protest, the association said its members would perform election-related duties if assigned but would abstain from voting. “Our vote is not for those who have deceived us. We will use this election to register our protest,” Rajendran said.

The association estimated that nearly 1.5 lakh votes, including those of employees and their family members, could be affected by the boycott, potentially carrying electoral implications in closely contested constituencies.