HYDERABAD: OF the five States going to polls this election season, people in Telangana seem to be using the Election Commission’s c-VIGIL app the most. The app helps citizens file complaints of model code violations by political parties. Poll panel authorities have said that the maximum number of complaints were filed from Telangana. Is that credit to citizens or a black mark on politicians?
Commonly launched complaints were about parties or contestants pasting posters on compound walls, usage of loudspeakers without permission and even party ribbons being tied to gates of houses. “So far, 2,393 complaints were received, of which 1390 were found to be correct. Most of them have been resolved,” said joint chief electoral officer Amrapali Kata. No grave violations have been reported through the app, yet.
The number of complaints is only likely to increase as polls inch near.Apart from Telangana, the app is currently being used in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram.
Candidates bank on social media
This time around, contestants seem to be banking heavily on online media. Officials in the EC are trying to find out the amount political parties are spending on digital marketing. Such expenditure, Amrapali Kata explained, would be categorised as poll expenditure
Other apps get attention
Other apps, too, are popular this election season. Suvidha, for instance, is being used by contestants to take permission for rallies, meetings. Sugam, is for officials to manage their logistics