In a startling revelation, it has emerged that polling officials in Delhi and NCR are ready to facilitate bogus voting in exchange for money, said a report on 2 April. Even though NCP chief Sharad Pawar reportedly termed his comments – urging supporters to vote twice – as a joke, a sting operation by Aaj Tak revealed that such an arrangement is possible and politicians can use this to buy votes in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Booth Level officers (BLOs), who are responsible to ensure that no fake votes are cast on the polling day, have accepted on hidden camera that they can provide fake voter ID for as low as Rs.1,000-1,500 per person.
BLOs and Assistant Electoral Returning officers in Delhi, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Noida and Dadri are allegedly involved in selling fake votes. Many officers also claimed that they can make multiple voter ID cards using just one photograph.