India voter 'chops off finger' after voting for wrong party

A Mayawati supporter in Bulandshahr who wanted to vote for Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) severed the index finger of his left hand after he "accidentally" voted for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the second phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The supporter, 25-year-old Pawan Kumar, who hails from Bulandshahr's Abdullapur Hulaspur village, cast his vote on 18 April. He said he wanted to vote for Yogesh Verma of BSP but instead pressed the button for the BJP candidate Bhola Singh, who is the sitting lawmaker.

"I accidentally pressed the button having lotus symbol (BJP's symbol) instead of the elephant (BSP's symbol). I chopped my finger for the mistake," he is heard saying in a video that has gone viral.

The video shows a man in a pink shirt sitting on a chair who explains why he chopped off his index finger. He then shows his bandaged finger to the camera.

When asked if he was forced to cast his vote for the BJP, the man said he wasn't.

Besides Singh and Verma, Bansi Lal Pahadia of Congress was also contesting from Bulandshahr.

Polling in 95 constituencies in 12 states and Union territories concluded on Thursday at 7:00 pm on 95 seats in 12 states and Union Territories.

The total voter turnout was recorded well over 66 percent with West Bengal leading with 76.42 per cent.

Elections were held on eight seats in Uttar Pradesh: Nagina, Amroha, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri.

The state witnessed 66.06 per cent polling in the second phase. Ten seats in the state will go to polls in the third phase, which will be held on 23 April.

Copyright: The Statesman/ Asia News Network