Tamil Nadu elections: TVK’s Vijay urges EC to extend polling hours

Chennai: As voting continues across Tamil Nadu for the 2026 Legislative Assembly elections, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay has written to the Election Commission seeking an extension of polling time by two hours. His request comes in response to reports of voters being stranded and unable to cast their ballots within the scheduled time.

"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 8:00 pm across all affected constituencies," reads the letter.

He claimed that inadequate planning by state-run transport services had left many voters struggling to reach their polling booths due to a shortage of buses.

Voting is being conducted in a single phase across all 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu today. Polling is taking place under tight security arrangements, and the voting process is scheduled to conclude at 6 pm. Voters across the state have been turning up in significant numbers, while several celebrities from both the film industry and political sphere have visited polling stations during the morning hours.

Vijay casts his vote in Neelankarai

Vijay cast his vote at a polling booth in Neelankarai. The actor and political leader voted at a school in the area.

In contrast to the 2021 Assembly elections, when he arrived on a bicycle to vote, Vijay travelled by car this time.

Contesting from two key constituencies

The actor-turned-politician is contesting the elections from two constituencies, Perambur in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli East.

In Perambur, he faces competition from DMK leader R D Shekar, who secured a decisive victory in the previous election with a margin of 54,976 votes against AIADMK candidate N R Dhanapalan.

In Tiruchirappalli East, Vijay is contesting against sitting DMK MLA Inigo Irudayaraj S, who won the 2021 election with a margin of 53,797 votes.

With agency inputs