Pune: Pune City Congress chief Arvind Shinde shockingly discovered on Monday that someone had already cast his vote at Saint Mira’s English Medium School in Rasta Peth, The Indian Express reported.
His name was still on the voter’s list but the vote was already cast when he turned up at the polling station.
Shinde raised objection and was later allowed to vote in accordance with the ‘tender vote’ process.
“I had gone to cast my vote at the polling booth where my name is registered. This was at St Mira’s English Medium Secondary school in Rasta Peth. However, I raised an objection to it and was allowed to cast tender vote,” The Indan Express quoted Shinde as saying.
A voter is allow for a tender vote as per Section 49P of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 on ballot paper upon realising that someone already cast the vote in their name and officials established the correct identity of the voter.
The voter can take up the matter with the presiding officer and establish voter identity, subsequently the voter will be allowed to cast a tender vote.
Tender votes cast on ballot papers are sealed and locked away.
They will be used when the margin between the winning candidate and runner up is too thin; otherwise they are not counted.