Elections are often celebrated as a festival of democracy, they are also marked by intense campaigning and open displays of support for political parties and ideologies.
Party workers and supporters express their allegiance in various ways, including word-of-mouth campaigns, social media posts, and status updates. However, when such expressions cross legal boundaries, they can lead to serious consequences.
In one such incident reported in Pathanamthitta, Rajeev Thengamam, 38, a native of Adoor, was arrested for allegedly violating election norms.
Rajeev, a driver with the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), was eligible to cast his vote through postal ballot as an absentee voter under the Election Commission’s essential services category.
Being politically inclined and keen on exercising his democratic right, he chose to vote during the initial phase of postal voting, which was permitted between April 1 and 6, 2026, at designated facilitation centres.
There, Rajeev entered the polling station with his mobile phone and allegedly recorded visuals of himself casting his vote for a candidate of his choice. He subsequently shared the footage on his personal Facebook account, expressing his enthusiasm and satisfaction at having voted for his preferred political party’s candidate.
“During social media monitoring as part of election surveillance, a sub-inspector in the squad came across the account through which the suspect had recorded and shared visuals of postal voting. The matter was immediately brought to the notice of the District Collector, who is also the District Election Officer, and he directed the police to register a case against the suspect for violating election rules,” said the station house officer of Pathanamthitta cyber police.
Acting on the directive, a case was registered for violation of the secrecy of voting and misconduct at a polling station under the Representation of the People Act, and for wantonly provoking a riot under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), said the officer.
He added that the investigation was initially handled by a cyber police squad, but was later transferred to the Adoor police station, as no provisions under the Information Technology Act were invoked in the case.
As the investigation was transferred to the Adoor police, the probe team summoned the suspect for interrogation. Responding to the notice, Rajeev appeared before the probe team and stated that he had no prior criminal record. He maintained that he had no intention of causing any disturbance and said the act was done out of excitement.
“During the interrogation, he reiterated the same and assured that such an incident would not be repeated. Considering the nature of the offence, which carries a punishment of less than seven years, we recorded his arrest and released him on station bail,” said Ajayan, inspector with Adoor police station.
The officer added that during custody, the suspect was also given proper awareness about maintaining the secrecy of voting and the many dos and don’ts of election rules and regulations.
Following the incident, the Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala and Pathanamthitta District Collector S Prem Krishnan directed officials engaged in election duties to remain vigilant against such violations. Authorities reiterated that publicly displaying one’s vote is a clear breach of election rules.