Navsari: The Navsari District Election Officer and District Collector have debunked a viral claim made by a voter who said that he voted twice.

Accompanying pictures of both inked forefingers, Satish Patel wrote on his Facebook page, “I am fortunate that I have had the opportunity to cast two votes in favor of C R Paatil in the Navsari LS election.”

Patel, a former municipal councilor of the Congress who joined the BJP recently in March this year, in reality, voted once for himself and once as an “assistance voter” for his disabled daughter during the general election on May 7.

The Navsari collector’s official handle posted on Saturday, “The viral claim of a voter casting two votes in 25 – Navsari parliamentary constituency is false. The voter had cast his own vote and got the indelible ink mark on left hand. He voted as assistance voter for his Divyang daughter and got the indelible ink mark on his right hand finger. The voter has clarified this and apologized for the false claim.” DeshGujarat

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He voted as assistance voter for his Divyang daughter and got the indelible ink mark on his right hand finger. The voter has clarified this and apologized for the false claim.#FakeNews #VerifyBeforeYouAmplify @CEOGujarat @ECISVEEP pic.twitter.com/D6qN0diX1a

— Collector & DM Navsari (@CollectorNav) May 11, 2024