Several people travelling to vote in the first phase of the Assembly elections were stranded in Siliguri on Wednesday because of a severe shortage of public transport.

Hundreds of commuters, most of them migrant workers, were waiting since early morning at the Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus (TNCBT), hoping to return home. The situation soon turned tense, with a section of agitated passengers vandalising the ticket counter of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) after prolonged delays and uncertainty over bus availability.

“I have been waiting for a bus since early morning. I need to travel to Cooch Behar to cast my vote on Thursday, but due to the shortage of buses, I am unsure how I will reach,” said Anil Barman, a resident of Cooch Behar.

Many like him were attempting to travel to districts such as Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and South Dinajpur. Several had been standing in queues since 6am, but received no clear information from the terminus staff regarding bus schedules or availability.

A group of irate commuters reportedly ransacked parts of the ticket counter, damaging equipment, including desktop computers.

Some of the passengers eventually left for the nearby railway stations in the afternoon.

According to an official source, around 70 NBSTC buses usually operate from the terminus daily. However, services have been disrupted due to the elections.

With arguments between passengers and transport staff escalating, authorities were alerted.

Police reached the spot and brought the situation under control.

An NBSTC official said that while the corporation operates over 500 buses across the region, a large number have been requisitioned for poll-related duties, along with their drivers.

“Most of our buses have been withdrawn from regular routes and deployed for election purposes, which has led to the current shortage. We are trying to maintain services with the limited number of buses available in our depots,” the official said.