Election Commission Requests Centre to Halt ‘Viksit Bharat’ Messages
The step was taken in response to numerous complaints filed with the election commission.
In New Delhi, the Election Commission has ordered the Union government to stop sending Viksit Bharat messages over WhatsApp to comply with the model code of conduct.
The Election Commission has asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to promptly provide a compliance report.
The Election Commission’s action on Thursday followed numerous complaints about the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) violating the model code. MeitY had explained that the messages, including one from the Prime Minister, were sent on March 15, before the model code of conduct took effect. Some delays were attributed to system and network limitations.
The Lok Sabha elections will take place in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. These dates were announced by the Election Commission on March 16, after which the model code of conduct came into effect immediately.
The ministry sent messages about government policies and sought feedback. The sender’s handle, marked with a green tick, is called “Viksit Bharat Sampark,” an ongoing initiative of the Government of India to evaluate flagship schemes and improve their implementation. It also includes MeitY’s address and a link to its website.
The Election Commission’s recent action follows its orders to the chief electoral officer of Karnataka to act on a complaint against Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje for derogatory remarks about people from Tamil Nadu. Additionally, the panel instructed the cabinet secretary, chief secretaries of all states, and chief electoral officers to remove unauthorized political advertisements.
The recent actions are viewed in light of Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar’s statement during the announcement of election dates. He emphasized the poll panel’s commitment to tackle four challenges: muscle, money, misinformation, and violations of the model code of conduct, to ensure free and fair elections.
