New Delhi: An FIR was lodged against BJP leader Vinay Mehar in Bhopal after his minor son allegedly cast a vote during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections and he posted a video of the incident doing so on Facebook. The incident occurred during the third phase of voting on Tuesday. The Presiding Officer of the Berasia booth, Sandeep Saini, has also been suspended.
The 14-second video was flagged by Congress leader Kamal Nath’s media advisor, Piyush Babele. He said on X, “BJP’s district panchayat member Vinay Mehar got his minor son to cast his vote. Made a video, posted it on Facebook, Will any action be taken? The collector said that an inquiry is being conducted and if found guilty, strict action will be taken against the presiding officer and the concerned person.”
The Congress has also asked how a mobile phone was allowed into a polling booth, for the recording to be taken.
The video shows the boy pressing the symbol with the BJP’s button on an EVM. It then shows the vote being registered by the VVPAT, or Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail machine, after which a voice – apparently the boy’s father – is heard saying, “Okay, that is enough now.”
The BJP has promised to look into the incident. Spokesperson Narendra Saluja said, according to The Indian Express, “We are trying to look into the incident. We will verify the authenticity of the video, whether a vote was cast or not, among other facts. If any illegal activity has taken place, then there will be action.”
District collector Kaushlendra Vikram Singh has reportedly launched an investigation into the matter.
