The Election Commission of India has ordered a probe into allegations that foreign nationals, including Sri Lankans, “deceitfully” voted in the 23 April Tamil Nadu Assembly election, Indian media reported on Saturday.
The commission’s action follows a police report submitted after ten foreign nationals were detained at Chennai and Madurai airports as they attempted to leave the country. Airport officials grew suspicious after noticing indelible ink — the marker used to identify those who have already cast a ballot — on the index fingers of the travellers, and alerted police.
Chennai police said the ten were arrested across nine cases for allegedly casting votes in the 2026 Tamil Nadu polls. Investigators determined that the suspects held passports from Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and Canada. “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 said. The Central Crime Branch has registered cases and is continuing inquiries.
Under Section 20A of India’s Representation of the People Act, non-resident Indians can register as overseas electors but must produce their original Indian passport at the polling booth. Those who have renounced Indian citizenship are barred from voting. The commission has not disclosed how many of the detainees are Sri Lankan citizens or how the fraudulent documents were obtained.
The probe lands at a sensitive moment in the India-Sri Lanka relationship. TVK leader Vijay was sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister earlier this month after the DMK was unseated in the Assembly count, and his administration has already taken up the SL Navy detention of Tamil Nadu fishermen with Colombo. Sri Lankan authorities have not yet commented on the alleged voting fraud.
Source: National Herald India, with agency inputs.
