LS Polls: EC's Call For Voter Vigilance With Digital Tools KYC, cVigil, MythVsReality — Key Initiatives

CEC Rajiv Kumar underscored several initiatives during the press conference, aimed at empowering voters and ensuring electoral integrity. Here's a look at a few of them.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar ( Image Source :PTI Images )

The Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on Saturday (March 16), revealing that the 18th Lok Sabha polls will be conducted in seven phases commencing from April 19. Results are slated to be declared on June 4. During the press conference, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, accompanied by newly-appointed Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, disclosed the eagerly anticipated poll dates for the 2024 parliamentary elections, which will encompass 543 Lok Sabha seats.

CEC Rajiv Kumar underscored several initiatives during the press conference, aimed at empowering voters and ensuring electoral integrity. Here's a look at a few of them: 

KYC: One such initiative highlighted was the Know Your Candidate (KYC) app, which enables voters to ascertain if their candidates have a criminal background, ongoing legal cases, assets, liabilities, and more.

Leveraging technology!#ECI offers 27 apps & portals for all stakeholders. cVigil empowers citizens to report MCC violations & assured action within 100 mts. KYC app facilitates informed voting. A revamped results portal to enhance the experience on results day. #Elections2024 pic.twitter.com/QaYV04EAVF

— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) March 16, 2024

cVigil: Addressing citizens, Rajiv Kumar emphasised leveraging technology for vigilant participation, particularly through the cVigil app. This platform facilitates the reporting of electoral malpractices such as cash distribution and inducements in exchange for votes. Users can submit complaints via photos or text, triggering swift action by the EC within 100 minutes.

ESMs: Enhancing transparency, the EC introduced the Election Seizure Management System (ESMs) portal to monitor the use of money power and poll inducements. This system facilitates seamless coordination and intelligence sharing among enforcement agencies, ensuring a level playing field in elections.

Myth vs Reality: To combat misinformation, the EC will soon launch the "Myth vs Reality" project, guiding on identifying and countering fake news circulating on social media platforms.

Tackling misinformation in today's digital age is complex. We have put certain measures in place to ensure misinformation is nipped in the bud. We're proactive in debunking fake news. Originators of fake news to be dealt with severely as per extant laws: CEC Kumar pic.twitter.com/LiTy2Pne3X

— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) March 16, 2024

SUVIDHA portal: The EC has issued strict instructions for DMs and SPs to ensure fairness. District control rooms facilitate CAPF deployment. Checkpoints and drones boost vigilance. Zero tolerance for violence, swift penalties for impersonation, and transparent permissions via the SUVIDHA portal all contribute to maintaining trust.

4Ms: Kumar also outlined the EC's commitment to tackling challenges, notably the "four M's" - Muscle, Money, Misinformation, and MCC violations. He stressed the Commission's dedication to mitigating these challenges throughout the electoral process.

The daunting challenges in conducting free and fair elections are four-fold, the 4Ms: muscle, money, misinformation, and MCC violations - CEC Rajiv Kumar
ECI is committed and has put in place measures to deal with these disruptive challenges. #Elections2024 pic.twitter.com/iABXMLqB81

— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) March 16, 2024

Observers: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, the EC is deploying over 2100 General, Police, and Expenditure Observers across various constituencies. These observers play a pivotal role in overseeing the conduct of elections, reinforcing the Commission's commitment to fair and transparent electoral processes.

Over 2100 General, Police, and Expenditure Observers being deployed for elections. They are the eyes and ears of Commission Overseeing conduct of inducement and intimidation free elections and level playing field for all. #Elections2024 pic.twitter.com/968JgQcmXl

— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) March 16, 2024

The primary goal of the EC is to ensure that the electoral process is free of any inducement or intimidation tactics, resulting in a level playing field for all candidates, as stated by CEC in the Saturday press conference.