Hundreds of voter ID cards found floating in Madhya Pradesh pond

Officials confirmed that the voter ID cards were genuine and not duplicates. (Image credit: @Kpanuragi113670/X)

Hundreds of genuine voter ID cards were found floating in Raja Talab, a pond located in Bijawar town of Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district on Saturday.

According to the officials, the cards, all belonging to residents of Ward No 15, were found inside a plastic bag during a routine cleaning drive. Sanitation workers spotted the bag drifting on the water, pulled it out.

Locals present at the site claimed that there were around 400 to 500 cards in total. Officials later confirmed that the documents were genuine and not duplicates, The Times of India reported.

#WATCH | Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh | Regarding the voter ID cards found in the pond, Bijawar SDM Vijay Kumar Dwivedi says, "Upon receiving information about voter ID cards lying at the Raja Talab Ghat in Bijawar, an immediate investigation was conducted. A total of 31 voter ID… pic.twitter.com/g2Cq6ZZH50

— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2025

Preliminary investigation launched

Authorities immediately began an inquiry to determine how the voter cards ended up in the pond. Bijawar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vijay Kumar Dwivedi said that after receiving information, officials rushed to the spot and seized 31 cards for initial verification. “Of these, 10 were old voter IDs issued before 2013 that had already been replaced, while 21 were more recent cards from 2020–21, all linked to polling station number 121,” Dwivedi was quoted by ANI as saying.

A show-cause notice has been issued to both the current Booth Level Officer (BLO), Kartik Sansiya, and his predecessor, Balram Pathak. They have been asked to explain how the cards were misplaced and to provide official records. “A detailed investigation is underway, and action will be taken against anyone found guilty of negligence,” Dwivedi said.

Political reactions

Congress leaders have accused authorities of carelessness and demanded a fair probe. State Congress leader Deepti Pandey said, “This incident reflects Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod’ campaign. It must be investigated impartially.”

Congress district president Gagan Yadav also urged the Election Commission to explain how hundreds of voter IDs could end up discarded in a pond. “If no action is taken, we will launch a district-level protest,” he said.

Samajwadi Party state president Manoj Yadav questioned whether the cards were part of a larger irregularity. “How did 500-600 voter IDs reach the pond? Were fake votes created and then destroyed?” he asked.