EC Orders Immediate Action After Video Shows Youth Casting Votes 8 Times For BJP Candidate

Soon after a video allegedly showing a youth voting multiple times for a BJP candidate was shared by the opposition, the Election Commission of India, Uttar Pradesh, directed the concerned District Election Officer to take prompt and effective action.

It was stated by the poll panel on X, "Cognizance of the circulating video has been taken. The concerned District Election Officer has been directed to take prompt and effective action."

Photo Credit: X-@ceoup

EC Orders Action Over Alleged Voter Video

In the video shared by Congress, a youth is allegedly seen casting eight votes for the BJP candidate. ET Online has not independently verified the authenticity of the video. The INDIA bloc has demanded swift action from the poll panel. Rahul Gandhi stated, "Seeing its defeat in front of it, BJP wants to loot democracy by pressurising the government machinery to deny the mandate. Congress expects from all the officers performing election duty that they should not forget their constitutional responsibility under the pressure of power."

Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav commented, "If the Election Commission feels that this is wrong then it must take some action, otherwise... BJP's booth committee is actually a loot committee."

As the elections enter their final stages, over 8.95 crore people, including 4.26 crore females and 5,409 third-gender electors, will vote in the fifth phase of the 18th Lok Sabha elections scheduled for May 20. The fifth phase will cover 49 seats across six states and two Union Territories (UTs). Of the 49 Lok Sabha seats, 14 are from Uttar Pradesh, 13 from Maharashtra, 7 from West Bengal, 5 from Bihar, 3 from Jharkhand, 5 from Odisha, and one each from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Key contests in various constituencies will be witnessed in the fifth phase. Union Ministers such as Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, and Piyush Goyal, along with opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, JKNC chief Omar Abdullah, and RJD leader Rohini Acharya, will be seeking electoral success.