Within four days of MCC coming into effect, Kerala reported 2,038 MCC violations, of which, 1,927 were found to be genuine.
(Representational image/Creative Commons)
Within a few days of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into effect, Kerala has reported four incidents of religious or communal speeches.
The state is also dealing with incidents of liquor and money distribution as well as the display of firearms and intimidation to coerce voters.
All the incidents fell under the tag of complaints about violations of the poll code, which the parties have to abide by because the Lok Sabha elections have been announced.
The MCC came into effect on Saturday, 16 March, when the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule and dates for the Lok Sabha elections.
Complaints registered through cVIGIL app.
As per the data released by the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Kerala, 2,038 complaints were registered in the cVIGIL app.
Of these, 1,927 were found to be genuine and disposed of with adequate action.
Meanwhile, 58 complaints were found to be incorrect, and 53 were said to be pending.
The cVIGIL app of the Election Commission of India is for citizens to report MCC and expenditure violations during the elections.
Claiming to be a user-friendly and easy-to-operate application, it only allows the capture of live photos or videos with automatic location data to ensure digital evidence for flying squads to act upon in a time-bound manner.
The data shows that of the nine complaints received on the cVIGIL app under the category display of firearms and intimidation, five were genuine, three were under inquiry, and one was incorrect.
Under the “religious or communal speeches or messages” complaint category, four complaints were registered. Of these, three were found to be correct, whereas the other was incorrect.
According to CEO Sanjay M Kaul, appropriate action had been initiated based on the complaints that were found to be genuine.
In the case of liquor distribution, probably to bribe voters, four complaints were registered and two were found to be correct.
Two complaints of money distribution, to entice voters, were received and one was found to be correct and the other incorrect.
As per the data, most complaints were received for displaying posters or banners without permission.
Of the 1,666 complaints registered under this category, 1,587 were found to be genuine. Meanwhile, 82 cases of property defacement were received and all were found to be correct.
Earlier, while briefing the media on the election preparedness in the state, the CEO remarked that this time it was expected that most MCC violations would happen on social media.
“False campaigns, misinformation, and other violations might happen through social media. The ECI has alerted this and we have ensured that it will be monitored thoroughly,” he said.
The other day, Kerala Police chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb announced the formation of social media surveillance teams at the state level as well as at the four police ranges — Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kannur.
According to the top cop, the surveillance teams would keep an eye on poll code violations happening on social media.
(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)
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