Election 2019: Bhola Singh reportedly took selfies inside the polling booth.
The Election Commission has sent a notice to BJP leader Bhola Singh over poll code violation and barred him from visiting polling booths today after he was seen campaigning at an election booth in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr in a viral video.
The poll body confined Mr Singh, who is seeking re-election from Bulandshahr, to his home till 6 pm after he was caught on camera asking people to vote for him at JP Janata Inter College polling station.
Bhola Singh, contesting against Bahujan Samaj Party's Yogesh Verma, was caught on camera stepping inside a polling booth with his supporters where he was stopped by the security officials. He reportedly told the security officials that he had the permission of District Magistrate and Returning Officer Abhay Singh to enter the booth.
"A candidate can visit polling booths in his constituency but cannot speak to the voters there. We served him a notice and ordered confinement for a day when we came to know that he (Singh) sought blessings from voters inside a polling station," Bulandshahr District Collector Abhay Singh said.
Bhola Singh also reportedly took selfies inside the polling booth.
Additional Election Commissioner Brahm Dev Ram Tripathi said that an urgent report was sought in the matter after the video went viral. "It has come to notice that the candidate was campaigning at a polling booth. An urgent report has been sought and action is being taken," he told news agency ANI.
The poll body is also likely to take action against the Bulanshahr District Magistrate.
Eight of 80 parliamentary constituencies in UP polled today in the second phase of general elections. Apart from Bulandshahr, voting was held in Aligarh, Hathras, Fatehpur Sikri, Nagina, Amroha, Mathura, and in Agra.
The state, which sends maximum lawmakers to the parliament, is witnessing a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, Congress and grand alliance of Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal.
The seven-phased national elections, which began on April 11, will end on May 19. In the second phase, voting was held in 95 constituencies across 11 states and one union territory Pondicherry. The votes will be counted on May 23.