Jaipur: Passenger movement from Jaipur to West Bengal and Tamil Nadu has witnessed a sharp rise in recent days amid heightened election activity in the two states.

A large number of migrant workers, working professionals, and students are travelling to their home states to cast their votes, while many others are still planning their journeys.

As a result, trains heading towards these states are running at full capacity, making confirmed tickets extremely difficult to secure. The impact of the election rush is also visible in air travel, with demand pushing up fares.

Airfares from Jaipur to Kolkata and Guwahati have also surged compared to normal days, driven by the twin factors of election travel and summer vacation demand. This has made flying a costly alternative for passengers unable to secure confirmed train tickets. Meanwhile, even Tatkal bookings are leaving travellers disappointed, with quotas getting exhausted within minutes. Due to the shortage of confirmed seats, sleeper and AC coaches are also witnessing a rise in unauthorised passengers, causing inconvenience to reserved ticket holders.

The Railways has introduced special trains on several major routes to ease the pressure, but these services too are witnessing heavy crowding. The current booking status reflects the rush: the Kaviguru Express to Guwahati is showing no availability for the next 15 days, while the Ajmer–Sealdah Express via Jaipur remains fully booked in both sleeper and AC classes till April 25. The Howrah Superfast Express has sleeper waiting lists touching 150, with AC waiting lists ranging between 60 and 100. Similar conditions prevail for bookings to Howrah. The Barmer–Guwahati Express has reported no availability on April 15, 20, and 22, while trains bound for Tamil Nadu are also witnessing long waiting lists. Even on the Barmer–Guwahati Express, no seats are available in any category till April 20 for Patna-bound passengers. DeshBharat