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India's Kolkata commuters hit by transport crisis as buses, cabs taken for April polls
Private schools told parents to opt for online classes for the rest of April; IT firms and other top companies in Kolkata have informally asked their staff to work from home
- PUBLISHED: Wed 22 Apr 2026, 6:00 AM
Thousands of harried commuters in Kolkata are facing a massive challenge as buses, cabs and even school vehicles have been taken over for election duties. Worse, many cab drivers have locked their vehicles and parked them far away to avoid being deployed for election work.
Many commuters in Kolkata were stranded on Tuesday because of lack of buses, cabs and autorickshaws. Some complained of being exploited by taxi and autorickshaw drivers, charging hefty amounts for trips.
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Voting for West Bengal elections will be held in two phases: on April 23 and April 29. Elections in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 23, while voters in Kerala, Assam and the union territory of Puducherry voted on April 9. The votes will be counted and the results declared on May 4.
About 1,000 government buses have been deployed for election duty in Kolkata. “From Tuesday morning, buses will be difficult to find in poll-bound areas,” Rahul Chatterjee of an organisation representing minibus operators, told reporters. “Many vehicles have already been taken for election and police duty.”
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Since many school buses and pool cars have also been deployed for transporting security personnel to voting booths across the state, several private schools have told parents to opt for online classes for the rest of April. Similarly, IT firms and other top corporates in Kolkata have informally asked their staff to work from home.
Requisition controversy
There has been a lot of controversy in the city over the requisitioning of private vehicles for election purposes. A vehicle owner has to appeal to the district magistrate with a valid reason for not allowing her/his vehicle to be requisitioned.
Media reports cited the recent instance of Tollywood actor Aritra Dutta Banik being stopped by a traffic cop at a crossing. “I was out with my personal car. Since I didn't violate any rule, I first asked why I was being stopped,” Banik told reporters.
“(Police) informed me that they wanted to use my car for poll purposes. They even forcibly parked my car and handed me a requisition slip," Banik added.
After the actor refused to part with his vehicle, he was allowed to go.
