Bihari Migrant Workers in Tamil Nadu Face Barriers to Voting in Home State Elections

Many Bihari families are now dispersed across Tamil Nadu, some residing as far as Kanyakumari. (Representational)

Chennai:

For numerous migrant workers from Bihar residing in Tamil Nadu, the prospect of journeying over 2,000 kilometers to participate in the upcoming two-phase elections in early November remains unfeasible, as their precarious employment situations make taking time off virtually impossible.

Families who have relocated from Bihar and established homes across Tamil Nadu for modest-paying jobs do not view travel as a viable option during this electoral period.

"In the construction sector, most of us reside at the work site, prepare our own meals, and consume them there. We rarely venture outside. We work through holidays and occasionally past sunset to earn additional income for our families," explained Ajay Kumar, a construction worker.

"If I were to decide to visit Patna, I would require six days for the round trip plus additional time to spend with my family. Therefore, I likely won't return home," he further stated.

Numerous Bihari families have spread throughout Tamil Nadu—with some settling as far as Kanyakumari, which borders Kerala—and are employed in various industries including rubber glove manufacturing, coir production, domestic services, and other sectors.

"They have even enrolled their children in local educational institutions, and some have registered on the electoral rolls here. Consequently, they are unlikely to cast votes in Bihar," noted Siluvai Vasthian from HEAL Movement, a non-governmental organization working to empower marginalized communities and establish participatory frameworks for unorganized sectors.

Through interventions by such organizations and local administration, children of Bihari migrant families employed across diverse sectors have been diverted from labor and registered in schools.

Workers from Bihar constitute the second-largest group of inter-state migrant (ISM) laborers in Tamil Nadu after those from Odisha, with approximately 2.51 lakh officially registered in the state. They represent a significant portion of Tamil Nadu's total registered ISM population exceeding 12.17 lakh, which also includes workers from Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and the Northeast.

According to official estimates, Tamil Nadu hosts around 35 lakh inter-state migrant workers employed throughout its 38 districts in sectors such as construction, mining, quarries, hospitality, manufacturing, textiles, retail, and various commercial establishments.

A recent State Planning Commission report titled 'Life and Times of Migrant Workers in the Chennai Region–2024–25' indicated that most workers in the Chennai region originate from eastern and northeastern states, particularly Bihar, Odisha, and Assam.

"Traveling to Bihar would mean sacrificing several days of wages, which I cannot afford," said Alok, who works at a Chennai hotel. He suggested that the government should consider developing a mechanism to enable migrant workers to vote from their place of employment.