The Election Commission (EC) has ordered an investigation into allegations that several foreign nationals “deceitfully” cast votes during the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections held on April 23, officials said on Saturday.
The EC’s directive comes in the wake of a police report submitted after the arrest of ten foreign nationals at Chennai and Madurai airports. Airport authorities reportedly became suspicious after noticing indelible ink marks on the index fingers of the passengers and alerted the police.
According to Chennai Police, ten foreign nationals were arrested in connection with nine separate cases related to alleged illegal voting in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were nationals of Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Police officials alleged that the accused had used fraudulent Indian identity documents to cast their votes.
“They had used fake Indian ID documents to participate in the election process. The indelible ink marks on their fingers raised suspicion when they attempted to board outbound flights,” a police official said.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Chennai Police has registered multiple cases and launched a detailed investigation into the matter.
Officials further clarified that under Election Commission rules, only Indian citizens who have not acquired citizenship of another country are eligible to register as overseas electors and vote in Indian elections.
“As per the rules, an overseas elector must remain an Indian citizen. Those who have renounced Indian citizenship or acquired foreign citizenship are not eligible to vote,” the official added.
Police also pointed out that Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) may register as voters under Section 20A of the Representation of the People Act. However, they are required to produce their original Indian passport at the polling booth in order to cast their vote legally.
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