Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 | Extend polling by 2 hours till 8 pm: Vijay to ECI

As thousands of people were stranded at various places due to “complete transport paralysis”, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay on Thursday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend polling hours by two hours till 8 pm.

In a letter to Archana Patnaik, Chief Electoral Officer (Tamil Nadu), Vijay said thousands of voters are stranded at bus terminals in Chennai, and similarly in other metro cities across Tamil Nadu, with no buses or alternative public transport available to reach their designated polling booths.

“This is not a minor inconvenience — it seems an intentional attempt of misplanning by the State Transport corporation and administration which is an outright assault on the fundamental right to vote guaranteed under the Constitution of India,” he said.

He added that the “systemic failure” has the potential to effectively disenfranchise a large section of the electorate, striking at the very heart of free and fair elections that the Election Commission is constitutionally mandated to conduct under Article 324.

He also urged the CEO to direct state transport authorities and district election officers in Chennai and all affected cities to immediately press additional government buses, shuttles, and other vehicles into service exclusively for ferrying stranded voters from bus terminals to polling stations.

He also flagged about reports of slow polling process at several polling stations saying such delays would discourage and may affect voter turnout.

“Extend polling hours by two hours: In view of the large surge of delayed voters due to travel disruptions, and long-queue waiting imperatives, polling must be extended till 8:00pm across all affected constituencies,” he added.