Madhya Pradesh: 100s of voter IDs found in pond; probe ordered

BHOPAL: Hundreds of genuine voter ID cards were found floating in Raja Talab in Bijawar town of Madhya Pradesh 's Chhatarpur district on Saturday.

Officials said the cards, all belonging to Ward No. 15, were discovered inside a bag during a cleaning drive.

According to local media reports, sanitation workers noticed the bag floating in the pond, pulled it out and found hundreds of original voter ID cards. An eyewitness told reporters that there were around 400-500 voter cards in the bag. All these cards are genuine, officials said.

Locals claimed these were undistributed voter cards that never reached citizens. Officials said that a preliminary inquiry has been ordered.

Political reactions poured in soon after visuals were circulated on social media. State Congress netaDeepti Pandey told media, "This incident reflects Rahul Gandhi 's 'Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod' campaign. It must be investigated impartially." Congress district president Gagan Yadav added, "EC must clarify how hundreds of voter cards ended up in the pond, or Congress will launch a movement."

Samajwadi Party state president Manoj Yadav alleged irregularities, telling reporters, "How did 500-600 voter IDs reach the pond? Were fake votes created and now destroyed? The Election Commission must answer."