Passengers stranded amid bus shortage on election day in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Several passengers travelling from Chennai to their hometowns to cast their votes were left stranded due to a shortage of buses, raising concerns over voter turnout, according to a Daily Thanthi report.

Passengers bound for southern districts were the worst affected, with many unable to find buses from key terminals including Kilambakkam, Koyambedu and Madhavaram. Some even staged sit-in protests inside bus stands late at night as they struggled to secure transport.

Those who managed to board buses were caught in heavy traffic congestion and took several hours to cross Tambaram. Many passengers who started their journey on Wednesday night had only reached Tindivanam or Villupuram by Thursday morning, leaving them uncertain about reaching their hometowns before polling ends.

The situation comes even as the Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for polling across the state. Voting is being held in a single phase across all 234 Assembly constituencies from 7 am to 6 pm.

Tamil Nadu has around 5.73 crore registered voters, and a total of 75,064 polling stations have been set up. As many as 4,023 candidates are in the fray, and for the first time, colour photographs of candidates have been displayed on Electronic Voting Machines.

To ensure security, about 1.4 lakh police personnel and 300 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed, with CCTV cameras installed at polling stations. Despite these measures, the transport issues have left many voters anxious about missing the chance to cast their vote.