The team will also scan through the sites to ensure that the polls are free from attempts to incite or lure voters
Be careful of what you post on Facebook or Twitter just ahead of the election season. A special team, formed by the election commission, will keep an eye on the social media to see if there were any chances paid news cases happening around. The team will also scan through the sites to ensure that the polls are free from attempts to incite or lure voters.
When asked if it was for the first time that a social media monitoring team was formed to tackle cases of paid news, Saurabh Pardhi, the district development officer, of Ahmedabad, said yes.
Pardhi was speaking at a press conference which was held to announce the preparations for the upcoming assembly elections. Ahmedabad goes to polls on December 14.
Avantika Singh, district election officer of Ahmedabad, clarified that citizens who have still not got their names changed or added them to the electoral roll could do it even now.
She also clarified that no names of voters have been deleted from the voters' list. "Those who have been found not to live at their mentioned addresses have been identified as shifted," said Singh. These people are also eligible to vote and that special measures have been made for them. "If a voter who has been identified as shifted comes to vote, s/he will have to sign some documents and give a thumb impression. All this will happen in the presence of the presiding officer," said Singh.
The collectorate also held a presentation for representatives of media houses to explain to them the concept of paid news and things that they need to be aware of. The election commission has also come up with a toll-free number where people can complain about election expenditure of candidates. The number is 18002333401.
BULK SMS
- EC mechanism to tackle paid news and political ads, including bulk SMSes.
- The poll body has set the expenditure per candidate at Rs 28 lakh.
- It has said candidates must declare expenses within 30 days of polls.
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