A youth named Rajan Singh was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah on Sunday, May 19, after a video showing him casting multiple votes went viral on social media. Singh, a resident of Khiriya Pamaran village in Etah district, was seen in the video allegedly voting for the BJP several times in the Farrukhabad parliamentary constituency, which had its polling on May 13.
The incident gained widespread attention after the video was shared by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and other politicians. Yadav posted the video on his social media handle, expressing outrage over the electoral malpractice.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Election Officer Navdeep Rinwa confirmed that Singh has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Representation of the People Act (RP Act). FIRs have been registered under sections 171-F (undue influence in elections) and 419 (impersonation) of the IPC, and sections 128, 132, and 136 of the RP Act at Nayagaon police station in Etah district.
Rinwa said that a re-polling has been recommended for the affected booth in Etah district. “Strict instructions to rigorously follow the procedure in regard to the identification of the voters have been issued to all district election officers of the remaining phases in UP,” Rinwa said in a post.
