Assembly elections in Maharashtra are scheduled for November 20, with postal voting already underway. A police constable faced action for breaching voting confidentiality by sharing a photo of his postal ballot paper on social media. Constable Ganesh Ashok Shinde, who voted via postal ballot for the 231 Ashti Assembly Constituency in Beed district, clicked a photo of his ballot paper and posted it online. The image quickly went viral.
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Election authorities took legal action against Shinde for disobeying election laws and breaching voting confidentiality. Balasaheb Vakchoure, the Election Returning Officer for the 185 Malabar Hill Assembly Constituency, confirmed the incident and emphasised the prohibition of such actions.
A Facilitation Centre for postal voting has been set up at Wilson College, Girgaon Chowpatty, Charni Road, Mumbai, for police personnel and employees. Officers cast their votes using postal ballots at this location. The incident occurred at polling station number 3 in the centre.
Strict guidelines were provided to voters, prohibiting the use of mobile phones within polling stations. Voters were instructed to maintain privacy while casting their votes and to properly seal their completed ballot papers in envelopes before dropping them in the designated ballot boxes.
Polling Centre president Prasanna Madhusudan Tambe reiterated the importance of maintaining voting confidentiality. A case has been registered against Constable Ganesh Ashok Shinde at Gamdevi Police Station, Mumbai, for violating these rules.