An man from UP cuts off his own finger in anger after voting for wrong party

An man from UP cuts off his own finger in anger after voting for wrong party

Mangalore Today News Network

Apr 20, 2019: An man from Uttar Pradesh has cut off his own finger after accidentally voting for the wrong party in his country’s election.

 

Pawan Kumar said that he had wanted to vote for the Bahujan Samaj Party in the second round of the election in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

But instead of pressing the button for the BSP’s elephant, he pressed the button with the lotus, the symbol for the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

Mr Kumar told the ANI news agency: "I accidentally pressed the button having the lotus symbol instead of an elephant.

"I chopped my finger for the mistake."

Symbols are used beside the names of candidates so that Indians who cannot read are still able to vote.

As a dalit (formerly known as "untouchables"), the election is one of the few times that the 25-year-old gets a chance to have his say.

Speaking afterwards to reporters, he said he had intended to vote for another national party, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which counts many Dalits among its supporters.

The BJP is represented by an icon of a lotus flower, while the the BSP’s symbol is an elephant.

“I wanted to vote for the elephant, but voted for the flower instead by mistake,” Mr Kumar is seen saying in one of the videos.

Asked if anyone had “forced or pressurised you to pick the flower”, he replies: “No.”

Party symbols are a vital way of identifying candidates in India, particularly in rural communities like Bulandshahr where rates of literacy are relatively low.

Candidates are listed on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in alphabetical order, with national parties at the top and then regional parties and independents at the bottom.

As two of only three national party picks, the BJP’s Bhola Singh and the BSP’s Yogesh Sharma would have been listed next to each other – making it more likely Mr Kumar simply hit the wrong button.

According to the Hindustan Times, Mr Kumar had travelled to vote with his brother and, after realising his mistake, cut off the end of his own finger in a fit of anger. He was rushed to hospital and later discharged after receiving treatment.