Votes were cast in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal

TVK leader Vijay has called on the Election Commission to extend the polling time by two hours and provide special bus services for thousands of people traveling to their hometowns to cast their votes.

Public transport services, especially in Chennai, failed on Thursday, as thousands of people heading towards their hometowns and villages to vote were left stranded.

Traffic jam was reported in the entire city on Wednesday night. Many complained that it took more than five hours to travel the 35 kilometers (23 mi).

Commuters staged a sudden protest at Kilambakkam Mofussil Bus Terminal over lack of bus services. The state transport corporation said it had arranged about 2,000 special buses from Chennai to several places, but passengers complained that it was inadequate.

Voting has begun in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where 57.3 million voters will decide the electoral fate of 4,023 candidates contesting the high-stakes Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

As of 9:00 am local time (0330 UTC/GMT), the state recorded a strong turnout of 17.69%, indicating a strong early momentum despite logistical challenges.

More than 75,000 polling stations have been set up across the state for the election of 234 members of the state assembly.

This time, more than 1.46 million first-time voters are expected to participate in the voting process, which may break previous voting records.

Key contenders in the high-stakes election include the ruling DMK led by MK Stalin; Edappadi K. Opposition AIADMK led by Palaniswami; Actor-politician Vijay’s newly formed TVK; and Senthamilan Seeman’s NTK.

Good morning! This is Midhat from New Delhi bringing you all the food from India today.

Temperatures have increased in the north, due to which the weather agency has had to issue a heat wave warning. Meanwhile, there is a possibility of light rain and thunderstorm in the northeastern states.

After witnessing a high-energy election campaign and controversial voter list revision in many states, people in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are voting today.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest from the country.