Did foreigners vote in Tamil Nadu polls? ECI orders probe after 10 detained at Chennai and Madurai airports

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a probe into allegations that foreign nationals of Indian origin voted in the April 23 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, an official said on Saturday.The ECI’s action follows a report submitted by the police after ten foreigners were arrested while attempting to board flights from the Chennai and Madurai airports, PTI reported.According to the police report, airport authorities grew suspicious after noticing indelible ink marks on the index fingers of the passengers and alerted the police.“They had used fraudulent Indian ID documents to cast the votes. The indelible ink was noticed on their fingers when they attempted to fly out,” a police official told PTI.The accused were arrested in nine cases for allegedly casting votes in the assembly polls.Police inquiries revealed that the individuals were from Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and Canada.As per ECI rules, an overseas elector must be an Indian citizen who has not acquired citizenship of another country. Those who have renounced Indian citizenship are barred from voting.Non-Resident Indians can register as voters under Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act and are required to produce their original Indian passport at the polling booth.