Johanna Deeksha, a reporter with The New Indian Express in Bangalore, posted a photograph of on Facebook of her polling slip, which seemed to have been printed with a lotus, the symbol of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the words ‘Vote for Bright Future’ above. The image and these words were in a section of the slip had the words “– – –Please Cut Here– – –”.
Along with the photograph of her polling slip, Deeksha posted a lengthy note, in which she claimed, “I went to the polling booth and the guys in charge asked me to vote for the BJP and even put the lotus picture on the polling slip,” She added, “In the previous phase, a number of videos of booth capture was being shared by students in the North East.”
Campaigning in the 48 hours ahead of polling is strictly prohibited by the Election Model Code of Conduct. For the staff of a voting booth to ask someone to vote for a particular party, and going so far as including a picture of the its symbol on the voting slip, is a brazen violation of the rules. However, it seems in character for the ruling party, which for five years has operated as though the laws of the land, including the Constitution, do not apply to it.