A BJP polling agent was arrested on May 12 after he was captured on video, engaging in voter influencing and allegedly casting votes on behalf of other voters at an Asaoti polling booth, in Faridabad, Haryana’s Prithala constituency.
The action was taken against the official only after several people on Twitter posted the video and brought it to the notice of the Haryana election body.
In the viral video, a BJP polling agent, seated at a polling booth, is seen repeatedly getting up to press the button on the EVM, each time the voters approach the machine behind the screen.
No officer present inside the booth is seen to question the BJP polling agent or stop him from committing the crime.
This is another level of capturing booth. This is how they want to bring back Modi wave.. An incident of faridabad apparantly.. And our @ECISVEEP will as usual approve of this as well ans give a clean chit to BJP.. What a shame @dhruv_rathee our elevtoral process has become. pic.twitter.com/HrUM87FSvj
— ThokoBhai™ (@HaftaWasooli) May 12, 2019
The agent is seen doing this at least three times before a man off camera is heard saying “BJP BJP.” He even tells one voter, “Go see. Your complaint has reached the higher officials.”
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The district election office of Faridabad tweeted that it sent the Faridabad election observers to the booth to carry out a probe. Based on their complaint, the man was arrested on Sunday evening, He has been charged for booth capturing and an FIR has been filed in the case.
The district election office also tweeted, “… He (polling agent) was trying to effect at least 3 lady voters. Observer & ARO with teams visited the booth at Asawati in the prithala constituency. He is satisfied that voting was never vitiated.”
The EC will study the Faridabad election observer’s report before deciding on further action, reports say.
However, questions are being raised as to how the officials can be completely satisfied that the polling at the booth was not corrupted, as the election body cites that the three proxy votes that were captured on video.
The person in the video is the Polling agent who has been arrested in the afternoon itself. FIR lodged. He was trying to effect at least 3 lady voters. Observer & ARO with teams visited the booth at Asawati in prithala constituency. He is satisfied that voting was never vitiated
— DISTRICT ELECTION OFFICE FARIDABAD (@OfficeFaridabad) May 12, 2019
Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa told NDTV, “The scrutiny of this polling station will be comprehensive.”
Faridabad in Haryana recorded a 64.46 voter turnout in the sixth phase of elections. BJP union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar is contesting against Congress’ Avtar Singh Bhadana and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Pandit Naveen.
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