With COVID-19 cases rising across the country, including in Tamil Nadu, will people travel to the city to cast their votes?
While holding the election has been a mammoth task for the Election Commission during the pandemic, it is an equally risky task for people who want to come to the city to vote. There are some who are willing to travel to Chennai from other States despite the pandemic. It is particularly difficult for those coming to Chennai from Bengaluru as a rule comes into place from April 1 wherein people entering Karnataka from any State must produce an RT-PCR test negative certificate. Yet, there are citizens who are willing to travel as it is an opportunity that comes once in five years.
S. Ranganathan, a healthcare professional, plans to travel from Bengaluru to Chennai by train. “I have taken one dose of the vaccine and will take another one soon. I am not scared to travel because with due precaution, I know I am safe. I am eager to come to Chennai and cast my vote,” he said.
K. Avinash, whose family lives in Velachery, said he planned to travel overnight to cast his vote. He recently found a new job in Karnataka. “I will take all precautions and vote in the afternoon since, hopefully, there would not be much crowd at that time. I don’t mind the overnight travel as I believe it is important to exercise our franchise,” he said.
Some are yet to decide on whether or not to risk it and travel to the city. K. Surendra Babu, who works in Bengaluru, said he was still making up his mind about travelling to cast his vote. “Office will grant a day’s leave. It will take only an hour to vote... I can immediately return to Bengaluru. But I am afraid to travel due to the rising COVID-19 numbers,” he added.
