Chennai– As polling continues across Tamil Nadu, serious allegations of administrative failure have emerged from the transport sector, with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) formally complaining that lakhs of voters have been left stranded at major bus terminals. Thalapathy Vijay wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner seeking urgent action, requests emergency public transport for stranded voters and a 2 hour extension of polling time to ensure everyone can vote.

Aadhav Arjuna, the General Secretary for Election Campaign Management of TVK, has written an urgent letter to Archana Patnaik, L.A.S., the Chief Election Officer and Principal Secretary to Government, highlighting what he terms a "wanton failure" to provide adequate transport facilities to travellers intending to reach their native places to cast their votes.

The letter names three senior officials for disciplinary proceedings, including Shunchonngam Jatak Chiru, I.A.S., Principal Secretary to Government, Transport Department; T. Prabhushankar, I.A.S., Managing Director of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC); and R. Mohan, Managing Director of the State Express Transport Corporation (SETC).

According to the complaint, large numbers of people have been stranded since midnight at the Kilambakkam and Madhavaram Bus Terminals in Chennai, as well as at other bus terminals across all districts of Tamil Nadu, including Coimbatore and Trichy.

Disturbing visuals circulating in the media show women with young children, young women travelling alone, and other members of the public left waiting for prolonged periods without any reliable means of transport. The letter further states that several individuals who had arrived in Chennai from other districts to cast their votes have also been unable to return to their residences due to the lack of Metropolitan Transport Corporation services, effectively trapping them away from their designated polling booths.

In a strong accusation, the letter claims that the transport authorities have been acting on the instructions of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, in order to prevent voters from reaching their destinations on time. The party has urged the Election Commission to take note that such large-scale disruption has adversely affected voters' ability to exercise their democratic rights, especially at a time when the Election Commission of India has deployed fifty international observers to ensure free and fair elections and encourage maximum voter participation. TVK contends that the failure of the transport department has directly undermined those efforts.

Given that only a few hours remain before the conclusion of polling, Aadhav Arjuna has requested the immediate intervention of the Election Commission on two urgent fronts. First, he has asked the Commission to arrange sufficient buses for both inter-city and long-distance travel to other districts from all bus terminals across Tamil Nadu without further delay.

Second, he has demanded that all necessary steps be taken on an urgent basis to facilitate voters in reaching their polling destinations within the remaining time. On the administrative side, the letter requests that appropriate disciplinary proceedings be initiated against the three named officials for their failure to ensure adequate transport arrangements, which has significantly hindered voter participation. The party has also requested that the officials be suspended forthwith. A copy of the letter has been marked to the Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu.