Lok Sabha elections 2019: Election Commission banks on its app as poll schedule announcement nears

The Election Commission (EC) is banking on its app, C-Vigil, to track violations of the model code of conduct that will come into force the day the schedule for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and a clutch of assembly polls is announced. The elections will likely be announced towards the end of next week, according to persons aware of developments.

Once the model code of conduct — a set of guideliness issued by the EC for the conduct of political parties and candidates when the electoral process is underway — comes into force, parties in power at the Centre and in states are barred from making any announcements that can impact poll outcome or disturb the level playing field.

The EC is enthused by the fact that at least 70% of the complaints registered through the app — it was first activated the day the 2018 November-December polls in Mizoram, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan were notified — were found to be correct.

The poll panel received over 19,000 complaints over the app, which works only in election-bound states, of which 13,250 were correct. Of the 8,712 cases reported from Telangana, 6,106 were correct; of 1,850 from Chhattisgarh, 1,120 were correct; of 3,986 from Madhya Pradesh, 2,477 were correct; of 66 from Mizoram, 8 were correct; and of 4,436 from Rajasthan, 3,541 were correct.

Last June, the poll panel inaugurated the app that allows voters to report incidents of misconduct within minutes of having witnessed them and without having to physically rush to the returning officer to lodge a complaint.

The app allows citizens to click a picture or record a video of up to two minutes that are in violation of the model code and upload it on the app, which allows automated location mapping.

According to information provided by the poll panel, the app has in-built features to prevent misuse. It receives complaints only about model code violations and the user gets five minutes to report an incident after having clicked a picture or a video. The app does not allow uploading pre-recorded or old images and videos.

A compendium on the model code of conduct put out by the EC says the credit for introducing it goes to Kerala, which adopted it for the first time during the assembly election in February 1960.

“A draft code was voluntarily approved by the representatives of the leading political parties of the state at a meeting specially convened for the purpose by the state government. This code covered, in detail, important aspects of electioneering, like meetings and processions, speeches and slogans, posters and placards,” says information put out by the poll panel.

On 16 April, 2001, it was decided that the model code would come into force from the date the EC announces the schedule for any election, though a rider was added that such announcement shall not ordinarily be made more than three weeks in advance of the date of notification of that election.