Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Feb 14: The Maharashtra State Election Commission has ordered the suspension of a polling officer and a police constable in Solapur for allowing a minor boy to enter a polling booth along with his father, a candidate in the Zilla Parishad election.

The action follows a video that went viral on social media showing a 14-year-old boy accompanying his father at the Yashwant Nagar polling station in Akluj during the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections held on February 7, 2026.

In the video, NCP (SP) candidate Arjun Sinh Mohite Patil is seen inside the polling compartment with his son, who appears to press the button on the electronic voting machine (EVM).

In a letter dated February 10 to the Solapur Collector, the Commission stated that permitting a child inside the polling compartment was a clear violation of election rules.

Based on a preliminary inquiry, the SEC found negligence in election duty by polling officer Anna Savata Budhe and police constable Gajanan Sitaram Rajut, who were deployed at the booth. It ordered their immediate suspension and initiation of departmental disciplinary proceedings.

The Commission has also directed the district administration to submit a detailed compliance report at the earliest.

Further, it stated that an FIR has been registered in connection with the incident, naming Mohite-Patil, and asked the Collector to submit a factual report on the status of the case and subsequent action taken.