This is the moment an Indian election officer tampered with votes only to realise he was being recorded by a camera positioned directly above him.

Surveillance camera footage showed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Anil Masih, 53, from the city of Chandigarh, the shared capital of India's states of Punjab and Haryana, allegedly manipulating the ballot papers, on January 30.

Unaware he was being recorded, the presiding officer of the city's mayoral election instantly stopped after taking a look above and seeing a camera.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) raised allegations of election manipulation after the video leaked online.

It came after the BJP candidate Manoj Kumar Sonkar was declared as the victor in the crucial election, after eight votes of the AAP-Congress opposition alliance candidate Kuldeep Singh were declared invalid.

Meanwhile, Indian politician and Punjab Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, 46, shared the video and said: 'BJP is not just corrupt, it is hell-bent to murder democracy.

'They are comfortable with using muscle power, agencies, money, pressure tactics, using the officers and whatnot.

'The attached video clearly shows the presiding officer manipulating votes.

'Today's incident is not just concerning for the political class. It should be concerning for every parent, for every student, for every citizen of this country.

'Do we want such a future for our kids? Do we want a dictatorship? And if the answer is no, it's time to fight back! Otherwise, it will soon be too late.'

Meanwhile, AAP politician Raghav Chadha, 35, criticised Masih and urged authorities to take action against him.

Chadha said: 'Action should be taken against the presiding officer. He should be arrested, he has done treason. We will file a complaint and demand not just an enquiry but his arrest.

'This is not a setback for one coalition, one alliance, or one party. It is a setback for India's democracy. We are aggrieved and hurt and we are worried as to what will happen in the upcoming 2024 polls.

'If the BJP can resort to such low levels and commit forgery and illegality... BJP can go to any level to rig the election process.'