New Delhi: A polling agent in Haryana’s Faridabad was arrested on Sunday after a video of him allegedly trying to influence voters went viral on social media.
Faridabad voted in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 12.
The video shows a man, wearing a blue t-shirt, walking up to the polling booth as a woman prepares to cast her vote and appears to press the button on the EVM before returning to his table inside a polling booth at Asaoti in Faridabad Lok Sabha seat's Prithla. No other official present in the room tries to stop the man from going to the voting compartment.
Soon after the emergence of the video, people tagged the Haryana election body's Twitter handle and sought action against the official.
"Prompt action taken. FIR lodged. Person behind bars. Observer enquired the matter personally and is satisfied that polling was never vitiated (sic)," the District Election Office in Faridabad tweeted after the Haryana election body instructed them to take action. The local election office said the polling agent was trying to influence "at least 3 lady voters".
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
The Election Commission on Monday admitted that the polling agent was arrested and FIR has been lodged. He was trying to effect at least three women voters. The EC officials told ANI that the Faridabad election observer observer "visited the booth at Asawati in Prithla constituency of 10, Faridabad and is satisfied that voting was never vitiated.”
Faridabad recorded 64.46% voter turnout. Union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar is contesting against Congress’s Avtar Singh Bhadana and INLD’s Mahender Chauhan in this seat.
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