BENGALURU: Tele-automated calls that voters are receiving on the pretext of conducting a poll opinion survey have been red-flagged by election officials as well as TrueCaller as a “scam”. They have alerted people not to take such calls, or if they did, to cut the calls. Several people have reported receiving such automated calls asking them to “press ‘1’ if you are voting for Congress; press ‘2’ if you are voting for BJP” — which is in stark violation of the secret ballot that characterises the Indian elections.
An official from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka (CEO), said they have received information from the citizens about such calls. “It has also been learnt that contact numbers of citizens have been provided by network service providers and in some cases, they have even been sold. People, organisations or even political parties can do opinion polls, but collecting personal information of citizens, including name, age, gender, profession, caste, etc., is an offence.
Collecting and distributing contact numbers is also an offence. We request people not to participate in it, not to share any details and report the issue to the election officials immediately on the cVigil App or to ‘1950’. We are collecting details and a complaint will be registered, following which legal action will be taken,” the official said.
Many citizens are not responding to the poll survey. “I got a call asking in Kannada to press ‘1’ if I am voting for Congress or Press ‘2’ if voting for BJP. I did not hear the rest of the details, but I cut the call in anger. As per law, no one can ask who I am voting for. It is a secret ballot,” said a Bengaluru-based gaming app marketing executive and a singer, who alerted The New Indian Express on receiving such a call on Friday afternoon, but requested anonymity.
Another citizen, who received the call, said he tried to argue, but it was of no use speaking to an automated call. “This is not the way opinion polls should be conducted. If a person or an agency has my contact number, then they know my name and other personal details. Companies and people who share contact numbers should be dealt with strictly. There is nothing like privacy any more,” said another Bengalurean Neha K.
When TNIE tried to call the numbers from which the calls were made, the response was: “The dialled number does not exist.”