Now Reading: 343 voter ID cards found on Narmada banks, Congress seeks FIR
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343 voter ID cards found on Narmada banks, Congress seeks FIR
The Story in Brief
A total of 343 voter identity cards were found abandoned on the banks of the Narmada River in Mandleshwar town, Khargone district, on Sunday, 25 October 2026, triggering a political row. Residents collected the cards during a cleanliness drive by the Niswarth Seva Samiti and informed the administration. A video of the recovered cards went viral on social media.
The Congress demanded an FIR and an impartial probe. District Congress president Ravi Naik submitted a complaint at Mandleshwar police station, questioning the Election Commission's functioning. India Today reports that thousands of cards were found and that Congress workers staged a protest alleging electoral malpractice. Mathrubhumi reports the cards belong to the Rau assembly constituency in Indore district.
Mandleshwar Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Shweta Shukla said the revenue team seized the cards and the police station in-charge has been directed to investigate. Maheshwar SDM Purva Mandloi confirmed the recovery and said a tehsildar has been sent to probe the matter. Action will be taken based on the findings.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both sources report the same core event but differ on the tally. Mathrubhumi cites an exact figure of 343 cards, while India Today says the exact number is not yet known and refers to thousands. This disparity may stem from the timing of reporting: India Today's later publication may have gathered wider estimates. Both outlets attribute the discovery to a cleanliness drive and quote police officials confirming an investigation. Congress's demand for an FIR and allegations of vote theft are reported identically. The uniform coverage of the official response from SDM Mandloi and police officer Shukla suggests a coordinated administration statement. No source independently verifies the tally, so the investigation outcome will be the decisive fact.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): mathrubhumi.com (neutral report), indiatoday.in (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
