Actor Vijay on Tuesday came to the voting booth in a bicycle to cast his vote as Tamil Nadu went to polls. Wearing a green t-shirt with a face mask, Vijay was seen cycling on a red and black coloured bicycle to the booth on Tuesday morning to cast his vote in a polling booth located in Neelankarai, Chennai. Visuals of his cycling trip to the polling booth went viral on social media in no time.
Many theories have been shared online as to why Vijay chose to cycle to the booth. According to reports and the most popular theory, Vijay came on a bicycle to protest against the rising prices of diesel and petrol. However, Vijay's spokesperson released a statement saying that since the booth was nearby he decided to cycle and there wasn't any other intention.
Polling began across over 88,000 booths in Tamil Nadu at 7 am on Tuesday. The state will elect the 16th Legislative Assembly by voting on April 6. The polling in Tamil Nadu is taking place in a single phase. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has arranged for COVID-19 patients to cast their votes between 6 pm to 7 pm on Tuesday.
Early on Tuesday, several noted celebrities arrived at polling booths for voting. Actor Ajith and his wife Shalini stood in a queue outside the polling booth as early as 6.40 am. Actor Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Suriya and Karthi were among those who were seen voting early morning on Tuesday.
Visuals also showed a huge crowd gathering around the polling booth where Vijay came to vote.
A total of 3998 candidates including heavyweights like Chief Minister K Palaniswami, deputy CM O Panneerselvam, DMK President M K Stalin, AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran and Makkal Needhi Maiam President Kamal Haasan are in the fray. The Election Commission will be conducting the polls with due COVID-19 health protocols such as checking the temperature of voters. While the ruling AIADMK is seeking a third term, Stalin-led DMK is making a strong bid to come back to power after a decade of stint in opposition. Polling also began in neighbouring Puducherry and Kerala this morning.
(The article was first published in The News Minute and has been republished with permission)
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