India cricket team captain Virat Kohli is from New Delhi but his name and photo were spotted in the voter list of Gorakhpur ahead of Lok Sabha bypoll in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which will be held on March 11.
Kohli is a voter of Sahjanwa, an industrial area in Uttar Pradesh, with voter number 822, according to the voter slip. The electoral list also has his photo and ID, which is mentioned as RSV 2231801, according to the Hindustan Times.
#Virat_Kohli_is_a_Resident_of_Delhi but has been #Named as a #Voter for the #Upcoming #Gorakhpur_Lok_Sabha_Bypolls! pic.twitter.com/5ArLwiJQhD
— Savdhan Jammu (@SavdhanJ) March 10, 2018
The anomaly was identified by a Booth Level Officer when she was tasked with the responsibility of distributing voter slips to Sahjanwa residents on Thursday. However, she had even made an attempt to find out a voter with the name "Virat Kohli". After failing to do so, she informed chief election officer Rajeev Rautela.
A probe was ordered after Rautela informed the Election Commision about the goof-up. Deputy election officer Prabhunath conceded the issue was "very serious" and promised action against the guilty, according to the report.
By-election in UP is being held in constituencies vacated by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath (Gorakhpur) and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya (Phulpur).
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won the UP assembly polls in 2017 by a thumping margin (335 out of 403 seats), is expected to retain the two constituencies.
Notably, Adityanath had won the Gorakhpur seat five straight times and had reportedly secured more than 50% of the vote share in the last three elections. He has been campaigning for BJP's Gorakhpur candidate Upendra Shukla in the lead-up to the by-poll.
Kohli make most of the time away from Team India
Meanwhile, Delhi boy Kohli has been rested for the T20I ongoing tri-series — Nidahas Trophy 2018 held in Sri Lanka.
The 29-year-old, who recently tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend and Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma, will be back in action in April as he will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the upcoming 11th season of Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kohli, on Thursday (March 8), posted a photo of a view of Arabian Sea from his sea-facing apartment in Mumbai. He has reportedly moved into the new house with wife Anushka.
