How Did Bihar MP Get Both Hands Inked After Voting? Netizens Bemused, Congress Cries Foul

Patna: A video has gone viral showing Samastipur MP Shambhavi Chaudhary, of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), with ink marks on both hands after Thursday’s first phase of polling in the Bihar Assembly elections.

Recorded outside a polling booth, the video shows 27-year-old Shambhavi posing alongside her father, JD(U) leader Ashok Chaudhary, and her mother Neeta Chaudhary.

Having just cast their votes in Buddha Colony’s St Paul School, in Patna, the Chaudhary family members were flaunting their inked fingers for the media.

Shambhavi can be seen raising her right hand first to show an inked finger. She then switches to her left hand, which also bears an ink mark on her finger.

Check out the viral video:

Shambhavi Chaudhary daughter of JDU's Ashok Chaudhary & MP from LJP after Voting in Bihar, She was posing for the Camera & She had Voting Ink on Both Hands

Did She Vote Twice?

Just look at Her Father's Reaction after being EXPOSED . pic.twitter.com/QsoJXCQEco

— Surbhi (@SurrbhiM) November 7, 2025

The Congress on Friday hit out at the LJP, a partner in the ruling NDA alliance in Bihar seeking to retain power under Nitish Kumar’s chief ministership.

Sharing Shambhavi’s photos, Congress wrote on X that this is “vote theft from both hands”.

गजब खेला है 😉 pic.twitter.com/DKbGp3oVKZ

— Congress (@INCIndia) November 7, 2025

Shambhavi’s video and photos garnered a lot of traffic on social media platforms. Some users accused her of voting twice, and took it as evidence of alleged malpractice.

“That expression says it all. Looks like someone accidentally revealed a little too much on camera,” wrote one user.

Another user remarked, “The election process in India is a joke… The clown @ECISVEEP is the solo reason for it.”

Some tagged the Election Commission, making sarcastic comments and questioning its credibility.

“Wow @ECISVEEP! Your transparency, effectiveness, and pleasantness are truly commendable. The South African election chief is eager to learn how you achieve such remarkable results,” read one post.

“NDA waalon ko 2,2 vote allow hai kya @ECISVEEP?” mocked one netizen.

 

COUNTER-COMMENTS CITE ROUTINE POLLING ERROR

Amid the deluge of criticism, some users defended the MP, saying that the dual ink marks could have been due to a polling mix-up.

“You can just ask them to apply ink on your other finger as well. Last time when my younger sister (then 8 years old) went to the booth, they also inked her finger because she asked nicely. That doesn’t mean she got to vote. The opposition is so washed, it’s all they got!” one user wrote.

Another person observed, “The hand and finger are fixed for an election. You can’t vote twice just by having marks on two different hands.”

There were some who explained that polling staff often ink the wrong hand or finger by mistake before correcting it.

“It happens when you give your right hand first instead of left and the polling officials don’t notice. Common error. To prevent double voting, they ink again on the left hand,” said one user.

“Sometimes they do it on a wrong finger but when pointed out, they ink it again on the right finger. It doesn’t mean you voted twice,” another person commented.

Neither Shambhavi nor the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a statement on the viral video yet.