While one side across the city, many shops and favourite hang out places are giving discounts and offers to the voters, other side the Election Commission has asked all commercial establishments and offices to keep their shutters closed till 6 p.m. The commission has implemented Section 144, which literally created a bandh atmosphere.
The move is not only arrest any political parties move to buy the voters, but also to increase the turnout percentage at the polling booths across the State.
While total turnout, till 11 am, in the State, was 35.28% and every constituency reported 30% and above, in polling, the three constituencies in Chennai reported less than 30%.
Chennai North reported 27.4%, Chennai South (26.3%) and Chennai Central 25.4%.
From 6 in the morning all the commercial establishments, offices, malls, theatres, hotels and others were closed across the State till 6 p.m.
T-Nagar, the shopping mecca of Tamil Nadu, was deserted as over 300 large retailers and thousands of smaller one, mainly textile and jewlellery shops, were closed.
All the establishments in the busy T Nagar shopping hub in Chennai, which not only gets customers from Chennai, but also from other parts of the State was completely shut. This 6 km-long stretch has been the heart of shopping not only for Tamil Nadu, but also the whole of South India.
According to the retailers, every year these shops used to sell around Rs 50-60 crore a day. The yearly turnover is twice that of New Delhi's Connaught Place, Linking Road in Mumbai and Bangalore's Brigade Road.
On the other side, the famous retailers and hang out areas have offered discount coupons. Lakme Saloons said for those customers' who walks in with the voting ink in their hand can avail 50% off on haircut and the offer is valid till April 30. Similarly Naturals Lounge in Tnagar offered 20% on all the services, Cake World outlets 15%, Raja's Chicken and Mutton Centre Rs 20 off in one kg Chicken, Big Bazar 10% discount for dress materials.
