Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh): Over a dozen voters have been booked for allegedly clicking photos and recording videos while pressing button for their favourite candidates during polling in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district. They, later, shared the posts on social media, violating the secrecy norms.
The complaint was filed by Additional Returning Officer (ARO) Sanjay Chourasia on November 22 at Sironj police station, has resulted in charges under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 188 and 128 of the Representation of the People Act.
"There is a complaint from the Additional Returning Officer that mobile phones and cameras were not allowed at the booth. But, some voters took pictures while casting their votes on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and shared them on social media sites. This is clearly against the rules of the Election Commission”, Vidisha Collector Umashankar Bhargav told ANI.
As many as 17 voters have been booked.
Expressing the significance of adhering to election rules, Collector Bhargav noted that such acts could impact future elections and questioned the disciplinary integrity of the electoral process. The officer's complaint sought action against those who violated the rules.
In response to the filed complaint, the Sironj police have taken prompt action, acknowledging the matter and officially registering an FIR against the 17 individuals implicated. Deputy Collector Harshal Choudhary underscored the explicit prohibition of mobile phones within polling stations, stating, "Some individuals surreptitiously brought in mobile phones, took pictures while casting their votes, and shared them on social media. The ARO submitted a complaint, and we initiated an FIR at Sironj police station under IPC section 188 and section 128 of the RPA act." The police are actively probing the individuals on duty at the polling booth and are delving into the circumstances that facilitated the accused in accessing mobile phones.
