The Election Commission (EC) on Monday ordered re-polling at polling station 88 at Asaoti in Faridabad after a polling agent of the BJP tried to influence voters on May 12 during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls. The EC has fixed May 19 for the re-polling.
The decision was taken after a complaint of violation of secrecy was found to be true by Presiding Officer of Asaoti, after a video of a polling agent, trying to influence voters inside a polling booth in Faridabad, went viral on social media.
An FIR has been registered against the accused, identified as Giriraj Singh. He was produced in court and is now out on bail. Presiding Officer Amit Atri in his complaint said that the accused, "with the excuse of helping voters", pressed the button meant to cast votes three times. "I stopped him each time but Giriraj Singh did not listen. While Giriraj Singh was trying to put a vote, some person recorded a video film and made it viral. During this time, a crowd of other voters came and Giriraj Singh managed to escape," the complainant stated. The FIR was registered.
In the video, Singh (in a blue t-shirt) is seen walking up to the polling booth on three occasions in less than 1.30 minutes and appears to have reportedly either pointed to the party symbol on the EVM or pressed the button, for at least three voters, including two women. As he gets up to walk to the booth for the third time, he is told that he is being called outside. He, however, walks into the booth for the third time to repeat the violation, before finally walking out of the purview of the camera.
In the video, no other official present in the room tried to stop the man from going to the voting compartment. After the video went viral, multiple people tagged the EC on Twitter asking for action to be taken against the man.
The EC said it sent the Faridabad election observer to the polling booth at Asaoti in Prithla for a probe. "Based on the election body's complaint, the man was arrested by the police on Sunday evening and has been charged for alleged booth capturing," EC officials said.
Faridabad went to polls on May 12.