EC orders re-poll at Faridabad booth where polling agent influenced voters

The Election Commission on Monday ordered re-poll for at a polling booth in Faridabad parliamentary constituency on May 19 after a complaint against a polling agent for influencing voters was found to be true.

The re-poll will be held at polling station-88.

In a statement, the EC said Ashok Kumar Garg IAS has been posted by the Commission as new Returning Officer of Faridabad parliamentary constituency. He has been directed to join at Faridabad by forenoon Tuesday.

“On enquiry by the Observer, the complaint was found to be true. Commission has therefore ordered a fresh poll at this polling station on 19th of May 2019,” the EC said in a statement.

“An FIR was lodged u/s 171 C and 188 of IPC and section 135 of RP Act 1951 against the polling agent Giriraj Singh. The presiding officer Amit Atri has been placed under suspension for the dereliction of duty and criminal action is also being initiated against the Presiding officer. The Micro observer Ms. Sonal Gulati has not reported the incident correctly for which the commission has barred her from any election related work for three years.”

The EC said it took a serious note of the failure to take immediate action on the incident and transferred the Returning Officer from present posting. It also directed the state Government to send a panel of three suitable officers immediately the for his replacement of Returning Officer Faridabad

The agent in was arrested 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.

Election commissioner Ashok Lavasa confirmed that the polling agent was arrested on Sunday afternoon and a report on the issue will be examined by the Election Commission.

In the video, the polling agent, wearing a blue T-shirt, can be seen walking up to the polling booth as a woman prepares to cast her vote. He appears to press a button on the EVM or pointing to a party symbol and then promptly returns to his seat. The man repeats the act with two other women voters. Several people tagged the Election Commission seeking action after the video went viral.

The voter turnout was 64.48% in Faridabad. Union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar is contesting against Congress’s Avtar Singh Bhadana and INLD’s Mahender Chauhan in this seat.

First Published: May 13, 2019 22:01 IST