Poll malpractice exposers’ IDS will be protected: EC
KOLKATA: Giving power to the common man to ensure a free and fair electoral process, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is introducing a mobile phone application, using which the video of any electoral malpractice can be sent from any part of the country for necessary action during the coming Lok Sabha (LS) polls. More importantly, the identity of the sender of the videos, which will act as both “complaint and evidence”, will remain undisclosed. The app was introduced on a pilot basis during the recently held Karnataka elections.
“Recently, during the Karnataka elections, the Election Commission introduced one mobile phone application for the common people. If you download this app, you would become a policeman to keep a watch on the electoral process. Just take a video and send wherever you see any political party or candidate harassing, threatening or distributing money,” said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Om Prakash Rawat.” He was speaking at session on “Electoral Integrity and Role of Money in Elections” organised by Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Saturday.
He further said that the longitude and latitude, along with the constituency of the place featured in the video, will get identified automatically. “At the same time, the contact numbers of the returning officer and district magistrate of the place will also get generated and we can take immediately action.”
Around 780 videos were sent during the Karnataka polls. “So we are giving power to the common man and in the Lok Sabha polls, too, the same will be done. Moreover, the identity of the person who sends the video will remain undisclosed.”
Rawat furthers said: “When Cambridge Analytica was exposed, it was found that only 5 lakh voters in India have lost their data out of 875 million. But the threat is huge. The EC is taking steps to ensure that these things are prevented.”