EC notice to 16 candidates from Gautam Budh Nagar

CAMPAIGNING ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITHOUT PERMISSION

IN THE run up to the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, 16 candidates contesting elections from Gautam Budh Nagar district have been served notices for campaigning on social media without prior permission from the authorities.

According to the district administration, these candidates are contesting from three Assembly seats in the district — Noida, Jewar and Dadri.

“They have not taken permission from Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) for the broadcast and publishing of campaign material. On social media — SMS or Whatsapp — messages which are akin to campaigning have been circulated without prior permission,” said N P Singh, Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate.

“We have a group of 10-15 people — from the district administration and the cyber crime cell — who are regularly monitoring social media platforms and Whatsapp groups where such messages are getting circulated. On the basis of this, showcause notices have been issued to 16 candidates,” Singh added.

The list includes candidates from the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as independent candidates.

“The notices were issued Thursday and a period of 48 hours has been given to them to respond to it. Failing this, a case under RP Act will be filed against them and it will be added to their election expenditure,” Singh said.

“If messages are being circulated without the MCMC’S consent and the candidates are unaware about this, they need to inform the authorities. Further, these claims will be verified by us,” Singh said.

“We will check the association of the candidate with those responsible for such election campaigning,” he added.

Last month, the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration had decided to track messages on Whatsapp, bulk text messages and social media websites for the duration of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

While the administration maintained that such messages will be included in a candidate’s poll expenses, disinformation and spreading “communal propaganda” through such means will also invite police cases.

In a series of meetings with telecom operators and police in January, the district administration decided to ensure that money spent on campaigning through electronic and telephonic mediums is made part of the candidate’s election expenditure.

Gautam Budh Nagar will go to polls on February 11.

“We have a group of 10 to 15 people — from the district administration and cyber crime cell — who are monitoring social media platforms and Whatsapp groups where such messages are circulated,” said N P Singh, Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate