UP elections 2022: FIR against 5 for using phone at polling booth

Sultanpur (Uttar Pradesh): The Sultanpur police has lodged an FIR against five persons for uploading videos of themselves casting their vote.

The six Assembly constituencies of Sultanpur went to polls on Sunday. Police have lodged cases against Shashank Dwivedi, Vivek Singh, Ranjeet Kumar Verma, Vikas Verma and Mata Prasad Pandey.

All these FIRs have been registered under the charges of Representation of the People Act. While Shashank, Ranjeet and Vivek have been arrested, probe against the others is pending.

Sultanpur Superintendent of Police (SP), Vipin Mishra, said that all of the named accused had taken mobile phones with them inside the polling booth secretly and clicked a picture while casting vote which is against the rules.

"We learnt about the same when the accused posted their photos on social media," said Mishra. Similarly in Lucknow, BJP MLC Bukkal Nawab's son Faisal was booked for breaching the secrecy of voting after a presiding officer lodged a case against him at Thakurganj police station.

In his complaint, presiding officer Amit Kumar stated that Faisal Nawab, who is voter at booth number 43, Husainabad Trust Office, used his mobile phone to film himself casting vote inside the polling compartment on February 23 and posted it on social media.

"Around 1 p.m., there was a huge rush at the centre. Faisal switched on his mobile phone after reaching inside the polling compartment and filmed himself while casting the vote. He posted the video showing himself and his vote to the party of his choice," the complainant said.

Published on: Tuesday, March 01, 2022, 10:37 AM IST