ECI Rules Violated: Man Posts Voting Video on Instagram, Arrested in Pimpri Chinchwad
Pimple Nilakh, 21st November 2024: A 25-year-old man has been arrested for uploading a video on social media while casting his vote in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Elections. A person on duty with the Election Commission of India (ECI) filed a complaint with the Pimpri Chinchwad Police, accusing the man of violating ECI rules and breaching voter secrecy. The incident took place yesterday in the Pimple Nilakh area.
Narendra Vasantrao Deshmukh (54), a resident of Lonavala, filed the complaint with the Sangvi Police Station. The police arrested Martin Jairaj Swamy (25), a resident of Pimple Nilakh. He faces charges under BNS Section 223 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) and relevant sections of The Representation of the People Act of 1951.
According to police reports, complainant Narendra Deshmukh was on ECI duty at Vidya Vinay Niketan School in Pimple Nilakh. During this time, the accused, Martin Jairaj Swamy, entered the voting centre with a phone despite repeated warnings that mobile phones were not allowed. While casting his vote for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Elections, Swamy recorded himself voting for Mahavikas Aghadi’s Rahul Kalate of the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP), the candidate for the Chinchwad Constituency.
Swamy not only recorded the act but also uploaded it as a story on Instagram from the account @martinswamy3033. Following this, a case was registered against him under the orders of the Assistant Election Returning Officer of Chinchwad Constituency for violating ECI rules and compromising the secrecy of the voting process. Police Inspector Shrinivas Chewale from Sangvi Police Station is leading the investigation.
