Tamil Nadu

Watch: Actor Vijay cycles to TN polling booth to cast his vote

Wearing a green t-shirt with a face mask, Vijay cast his vote at a polling booth in Neelankarai, Chennai.

Written by : TNM Staff

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, the actor's team clarified that the only reason Vijay decided to ride a cycle to the booth was because it was just one street away from his house. "There is only one reason why Thalapathy Vijay came by cycle to cast his vote. The booth is in the street behind his house. It's a narrow street, and it would be difficult to take the car there. There is no other reason for it," Vijay's team said. 

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. 

Here are visuals of actor Vijay cycling to the polling booth:

Visuals also showed a huge crowd gathering around the polling booth where Vijay came to vote. 

Also read: What happened to Vijay's cycle after the actor's sensational poll booth entry

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, AIADMK minister SP Velumani, BJP’s Aravakurichi candidate K Annamalai, Director Bharathiraja, actors Sivakumar, Suriya, Karthi, Shruti Haasan, Akshara Haasan, Sivakarthikeyan, Puducherry Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, BJP’s Thousand Lights candidate Khushboo, DMK Chief MK Stalin, DMK’s Chepauk candidate Udhayanidhi Stalin, Former Union Minister P Chidambaram, BJP State President L Murugan etc cast their votes in the early hours of Tuesday. 

Also read: LIVE updates: Voting underway for Tamil Nadu Assembly elections

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. 

Also read: Live updates on Kerala polls: LDF looks to make history, UDF looks for comeback

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