Chennai: A large number of Tamil Nadu government employees and workers in state public sector undertakings (PSUs) are reported to have recorded their votes for NOTA (None of the Above), according to accounts from PSU staff.
Employees said they had held a series of protests demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme and the filling of vacant posts across government departments and PSUs, including the electricity board and transport corporations.
They recalled that the DMK had assured action on these demands during the 2021 Assembly election. However, they alleged that the state government introduced the Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme earlier this year instead of bringing back the old pension system.
They also claimed that thousands of vacancies remain unfilled, leading to dissatisfaction among government and PSU employees as well as teachers. Staff further said the AIADMK, despite being in power for 10 years earlier, had also not fulfilled these demands.
With doubts over whether either major party would address the issues even if elected, and believing that voting for actor-politician Vijay’s party would not translate into power, many employees and their family members said they used NOTA to both vote and register their discontent. They expect the NOTA count to be higher than last time.
