A videograb shows an elephant in Jhargram, popularly known as Ramlal, roaming outside polling booths in Jhargram districts of Jitusol area, creating panic among voters. However, forest officials took him away from the area and took him back to the forests. “Ramlal is a regular participant in all major local events in Jhargram,” said district forest officials. Photo: Special arrangement
In an election where numbers, stories and nerves are closely watched, it was an unlikely ‘voter’ – a roaming elephant named ‘Ramlal’ – who briefly stole the limelight at a poll in West Bengal’s Jhargram on Thursday (April 23, 2026) morning.
Before the voting could speed up at Jitushol Primary School, a booth tucked deep in the forested belt of Jangalmahal, it crept in, turning an otherwise routine start into a spectacle of angst and amusement.
Published – 23 Apr 2026 12:22 IST
