Youth’s selfie with ballot paper goes viral

Collector declares vote invalid, initiates legal action

East Godavari Collector and District Election Officer D. Muralidhar Reddy on Thursday declared a vote invalid after a voter took a selfie with his ballot paper inside the polling booth and shared it online during the MPTC, ZPTC elections at Pallamkurru polling station in East Godavari district. The young voter, identified as Kasi Venkata Ramana of Pallamkurru village took the selfie before dropping the ballot paper in the ballot box. The photograph, in which his choice of vote is displayed, went viral after he uploaded it on online platforms. In an official release, Mr. Muralidhar Reddy said the vote cast by Mr. Venkata Ramana had been declared invalid for violating the Model Code of Conduct under the Panchayat Raj Act 1994. A case has been registered against the youth for violating the election guidelines.