The BJP agent who was accused of trying to get three women to vote for BJP by pressing the 'lotus symbol' at a polling booth in Faridabad's Asaoti village has been released on bail, reported NDTV.
The man, identified as Giriraj Singh, was arrested on Sunday, 12 May. According to NDTV, he denied all charges and he stated that he was only trying to help the villagers.
In a complete breach of protocol, Giriraj Singh was seen going inside the polling booth to the EVM, not once but thrice. This video became viral on social media.
NDTV reported that they had managed to track down one of the three women from the video. She had confirmed that the agent had indeed directed her to punch the lotus symbol and vote for BJP.
She also added that she could not lodge a complaint with anyone at the polling booth as she had to rush home to take care of her sick daughter.
EC Orders Re-Polling
The EC has ordered a re-polling at the booth on 19 May after finding that the complaint was true. In a press release, it also stated that it has taken action against officials connected to the incident.
"The presiding office, Shri Amit Atri, has been placed under suspension for dereliction of duty. Criminal action is also being initiated against him," said EC in its press release.
Giriraj Singh told NDTV, "There are two voting machines and 28 candidates in the (Faridabad Lok Sabha) constituency, and the women of this village are illiterate. Even educated people get confused when it comes to using these machines. I was only showing them how to do it."
(With inputs from NDTV)
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