UP Election 2022: Kanpur Mayor shares photo of EVM while voting, FIR registered

"An FIR has been issued against Pramila Pandey under relevant provisions for breach of voting secrecy at Hudson School polling station," the Kanpur district magistrate tweeted.

Kanpur Mayor Pramila Pandey sparked outrage today when she took photos and recordings inside a polling station. Pandey posted a snapshot of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) she used to vote during the third round of the UP assembly elections. Pandey voted at the Hudson School voting station in Kanpur. She recorded a video while voting and shared it with various WhatsApp groups.

The District Magistrate has taken note of the situation and taken action against her. "An FIR has been issued against Pramila Pandey under relevant provisions for breach of voting secrecy at Hudson School polling station," the Kanpur district magistrate tweeted.

Voting in the third round of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections is underway in 59 seats spanning across 16 districts of the state. The polls began at 7 am and will end by 6 pm.  As many as 627 candidates are in the fray in the phase, in which over 2.15 crore people are eligible to vote. The districts where polling is being held are Hathras, Firozabad, Etah, Kasganj, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Jalaun, Jhanshi, Lalitpur, Hamirpur and Mahoba.

In the third round of voting, 627 candidates are running in 59 assembly constituencies, with 97 of them being women. According to the commission, a total of 25,794 voting locations and 15,557 polling stations have been set up in the third phase of elections, and in light of Covid-19, the Election Commission of India has issued directions to maintain the maximum number of voters at polling places at 1250. Ramps, restrooms, and drinking water are available at all polling locations.