LS Election: Row Erupts As Video Surfaces Showing BJP Leader's Minor Son Casting Vote In Madhya Pradesh

The footage allegedly shows the son of Vinay Mehar, a local leader of the BJP, voting on behalf of his father inside a polling booth during the voting process.

Controversy broke out, after a video of a young child appearing to cast a vote during the Lok Sabha election in Berasia in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, surfaced online on Thursday.

As per the reports, the footage allegedly shows the son of Vinay Mehar, a local leader of the BJP, being accompanied by his father – who appears to be filming – inside a polling booth during the voting process. The boy then seemingly casts a vote on behalf of his father using the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).

Kamal Nath's Media Advisor Flaggs Video

The 14-second clip, purportedly shared on the BJP leader's Facebook page, came to attention after being flagged by the media advisor of Congress leader Kamal Nath. It features the boy and his father inside the booth, pressing a button on the EVM corresponding to the lotus symbol, the BJP's emblem. Subsequently, the camera captures the vote being recorded by the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine, after which Mr Mehar is heard saying, "Ok. That is enough now."

Following the viral video, questions have been raised about how a) a mobile phone was allowed into the polling booth, and b) how the child was permitted to go inside the booth to accompany his father.

"BJP has turned the Election Commission into a child's plaything. In Bhopal, the BJP's district panchayat member Vinay Mehar got his minor son to cast his vote. Vinay Mehar also made a video of the time when he cast his vote. Vinay Mehar posted the video on Facebook." "Will there be any action?" Piyush Babele, Piyush Babele, identified as a media advisor in the office of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath while sharing the video online.

As per the NDTV reports, the Election Commission has not yet responded. District authorities have acknowledged the video.

District Collector Kaushalendra Vikram Singh has directed to launch of an investigation. Presiding Officer Sandeep Saini has been suspended and a FIR has been launched against the BJP leader.

The Berasia Assembly segment, where the incident transpired, is designated for Scheduled Caste candidates and is one of eight segments constituting the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency.

The Berasia segment is presently represented by the BJP's Vishnu Khatre, while the Lok Sabha seat is held by the party's Pragya Thakur. However, she will not contest her seat in the upcoming election, as the BJP has nominated Alok Sharma against the Congress' Arun Shrivastava.