The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) has lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station seeking investigation into the circulation of fabricated messages regarding the schedule of the forthcoming local body elections.
The SEC said preparations were underway for the second ordinary elections to rural and urban local bodies in the State. However, fake communications were being circulated on WhatsApp and social media by allegedly misusing the Commission’s letterhead, logo and signatures.
A fabricated election schedule was circulated on August 21, prompting the SEC to issue a clarification on August 24 stating that the information was fake. Another message circulated on September 28 claimed that the State Election Commissioner had said another two months would be required to announce the election schedule.
It also claimed that the election process would be taken forward only after clearance of court cases relating to electoral rolls and reservations. State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha in a press note issued on Tuesday categorically rejected the claims and warned that circulation of fabricated, misleading or unauthorised information in the name of the Commission could attract legal action.
The repeated circulation of such messages had caused confusion among the public, media, political parties and government officials, the SEC said. It added that its officers were receiving a large number of calls seeking clarification, affecting the Commission’s normal functioning and election preparations. The SEC advised the public and media to rely only on official press notes and communications issued by the Commission for authentic information on the local body elections.
