The Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested a young voter in connection with a viral video that shows him casting multiple votes in favor of a BJP candidate at a polling booth.
Authorities apprehended Rajan Singh late on Sunday after the video spread widely on social media.
The two-minute video captures Singh voting at least eight times for BJP candidate Mukesh Rajput on an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).
Rajput is running for the Lok Sabha seat from the Farrukhabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
Following the video’s release, the Assistant Returning Officer, Prateet Tripathi, filed a complaint, leading to an FIR at the Naya Gaon police station.
The case includes charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other relevant election laws.
The charges include IPC Section 171F (offence related to elections), IPC Section 419 (cheating by personation), and Sections 128, 132, and 136 of the Representation of the People’s Act, which pertain to maintaining voting secrecy, election fraud, and other offences.
Election Commission Orders Swift Action
The Election Commission has taken immediate notice of the incident.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa announced that his office has taken notice of the circulating video. He directed the concerned District Election Officer to promptly and effectively address the matter.
#WATCH | Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa says, “Last evening, a video went viral which showed a youth casting his vote on an EVM multiple times…It was probed and it was found to be a video from Farrukhabad Lok Sabha constituency. It is specifically… pic.twitter.com/jT9mpJfrAs
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2024
The controversy erupted after leaders from Congress and the Samajwadi Party shared the video on the social media platform X. They demanded swift action from the Election Commission.
The Congress party posted, “Dear Election Commission, do you see this? One person is voting eight times. It is time to wake up.”
Akhilesh Yadav Demands EC Action
Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav also shared the video, calling for immediate action from the EC.
अगर चुनाव आयोग को लगे कि ये गलत हुआ है तो वो कुछ कार्रवाई ज़रूर करे, नहीं तो…
भाजपा की बूथ कमेटी, दरअसल लूट कमेटी है। #नहीं_चाहिए_भाजपा pic.twitter.com/8gwJ4wHAdw
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 19, 2024
This incident highlights significant concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in Uttar Pradesh and the effectiveness of measures in place to prevent such occurrences.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 5: Key Constituencies To Watch
