- Actor Akshaya Hariharan claimed her vote was cast by someone else before she arrived at the booth
- She was initially directed to a different booth and found a different person's photo on her voting record
- Akshaya eventually cast an alternative vote after waiting for a long time
Actor Akshaya Hariharan has raised serious concerns during the ongoing Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026, claiming that her vote had already been cast by someone else before she arrived at the polling booth.
Actor Claims Impersonation At Polling Booth
In a video shared on her X account, Akshaya explained the situation she encountered when she went to vote.
She said, "Hi, I am just here to say that someone else has already cast my vote. It is really shocking. I am from Velachery in Tamil Nadu, and I did not get my vote slip. Then the details were shared online that my booth was in Adyar, so I went to Adyar and waited for an hour. Then I was told that someone else had already cast my vote. There was another photo of a woman claiming to be a 24-year-old, and they had put a fingerprint. My second name is Hariharan, so everything is correct on the paper, but only the photos are different. So they should have checked before, because how can someone else cast their vote for me?"
Despite the issue, the actor said she was eventually allowed to cast an alternative vote, though she remained unsure about the exact process.
She added, "Finally, after waiting for so much time, I cast my tender ballot vote or challenge vote, I am not really sure about that. I do not find it appropriate because it was just a paper and they did not even seal it in front of me. How can you let things like this happen in the first place? No one had answers to my questions. It is really disappointing that things like this are happening. A few lawyers have got in touch with me, so I took the alternate vote. What I did was the right thing, but I am going to raise a complaint with my nearest RO office."
@ECISVEEP please spread the news and cast your ballot tender vote if this is the case and cancel the fake vote with a complaint pic.twitter.com/eu5xkYB1k9
— akshaya hariharan (@akshaya__31) April 23, 2026
'Doesn't Feel Like I Have Really Voted'
Taking to Instagram Stories, Akshaya expressed her dissatisfaction with the process, noting that the experience did not feel like casting a proper vote.
She wrote, "It does not feel like I have really voted. It is not the same as voting in a machine. It is just a paper and an envelope. This is the best I could do though. Please do not waste your vote. You still have time."
Meanwhile, actors such as Rajinikanth, Vijay Sethupathi, Dhanush, Vikram, Khushbu Sundar, Sivakarthikeyan and Kamal Haasan, among others, were spotted at polling booths exercising their right to vote.
Polling is currently underway for all 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, alongside voting in 152 constituencies in West Bengal, with security measures in place.
ALSO READ: Watch: Arijit Singh Goes To Vote In Murshidabad Hand-In-Hand With Wife Koel
