UP Man Arrested After Viral Video Shows Him Voting for BJP Candidate 8 Times

A young voter from Uttar Pradesh was arrested after a viral video showed him casting multiple votes for a BJP candidate. The video, shared widely on social media, led to swift action from the authorities.

UP Man Arrested Voting for BJP Candidate 8 Times

In the video, the voter, identified as Rajan Singh, is seen voting at least eight times for BJP candidate Mukesh Rajput using an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). The incident occurred at a polling booth in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh. Opposition parties, including the Congress and Samajwadi Party, brought the video to public attention, demanding action from the Election Commission of India (ECI).

फर्रुखाबाद लोकसभा के अलीगंज विधानसभा में बूथ संख्या 343 ग्राम खिरिया पमारान पर नाबालिग युवक द्वारा 8 बार भाजपा के पक्ष में डाला गया वोट, ये घटना निश्चित रूप से बूथ कैप्चरिंग को दर्शाती है।

संज्ञान ले चुनाव आयोग, आरोपियों पर उचित कार्रवाई हो।@ecisveep @ceoup @DMFarrukhabadUP pic.twitter.com/LWC5PK4f32

— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) May 19, 2024

Legal Actions and Charges

Following the video’s circulation, the Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR against Singh at the Naya Gaon police station. He faces charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Representation of the People Act, including:

IPC Section 171F: Offense related to elections.

IPC Section 419: Punishment for cheating by personation.

Sections 128, 132, and 136 of the Representation of the People Act: Related to maintaining the secrecy of voting, fraud at elections, and other election offenses.

Election Commission’s Response

The Election Commission took immediate cognizance of the incident. The Chief Election Officer of Uttar Pradesh stated that the District Election Officer had been directed to take prompt and effective action. Additionally, the poll panel ordered the suspension and initiation of disciplinary proceedings against all officials present at the polling booth during the incident.

#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

Opposition Parties’ Reaction

The Congress and Samajwadi Party played a crucial role in bringing the issue to light. The Congress tweeted, “Dear Election Commission, do you see this? One person is voting 8 times. It’s time to wake up.” Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also shared the video, criticizing the BJP and calling for stringent action from the ECI. He wrote, “If the Election Commission feels that this is wrong, they should certainly take some action, otherwise… BJP’s booth committee is actually a loot committee.”