EC: Polling agent held for trying to influence voters in Faridabad

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A polling agent was arrested and an FIR was registered against him for allegedly trying to influence voters at a polling booth in Faridabad during the penultimate phase of general elections on Sunday, the Election Commission (EC) has said.

"The Faridabad District Election Officer has reported that a polling agent was arrested yesterday and FIR has been lodged. He was trying to influence at least three women voters," the EC said on Monday.

The poll body, however, did not mention which party the arrested agent was representing, adding that polling was not affected by his arrest.

Also read: Elections 2019: Vote turnout till afternoon for phase 6

"An observer visited the booth at Asawati in Prithla constituency of 10, Faridabad parliamentary constituency. He is satisfied that voting was never vitiated," EC added.

A total of 59 Lok Sabha seats, including 10 seats in Haryana, went to polls in the sixth phase of general elections on Sunday. The remaining 59 seats will go to polls on May 19, and counting of votes will take place on May 23. A voter turnout of 69.50 per cent was recorded on Sunday in the 10 Lok Sabha seats of Haryana, where 223 candidates, including two Union ministers and a former chief minister, are in the fray. There were a few polling booths in the state which registered negligible voter turnout due to some local issues faced by the villagers in these areas.

Eleven women candidates are in the fray, prominent amongst them being Kumari Selja (Ambala) and Shruti Choudhary (Bhiwani-Mahendergarh) of the Congress and Sunita Duggal (Sirsa) of the BJP.

Prominent candidates in fray included Union ministers Rao Inderjit Singh, Krishan Pal Gurjar, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kumari Selja of the Congress and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala.

The election officer said there were some glitches in EVMs and the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) at a few booths early in the morning, but those were replaced immediately.

The BSP is fighting on eight seats, leaving two for its ally the Loktantra Suraksha Party floated by rebel BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini.

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Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from Agencies