The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): The Election Commission of India has directed the Central government to immediately stop delivering bulk WhatsApp messages to citizens under the “Viksit Bharat Sampark” initiative. This initiative aimed to highlight the government’s achievements through mass messaging on the popular chat platform.
The Commission’s directive was issued to the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology after receiving complaints about the matter. The poll body stated that the move is “a part of a series of decisions taken to ensure a level-playing field” during the ongoing elections.
Asking the government to ensure “no further delivery” of such bulk WhatsApp messages, the Commission sought an “immediate” compliance report from the ministry. The ministry had informed the Election Commission that the messages, along with a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were sent before the Model Code of Conduct came into force on March 16 with the announcement of the Lok Sabha poll schedule.
However, the ministry acknowledged that “due to system architecture and network limitations, it is possible that some letters have a delayed delivery,” even after the Model Code of Conduct was enforced.
The Election Commission had received several complaints that such messages, highlighting the government’s initiatives, were being delivered to citizens’ phones despite the announcement of the 2024 parliamentary elections and the Model Code of Conduct coming into effect.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, had objected to the messages and requested the Election Commission to take action against this “blatant violation” of the Model Code of Conduct.
On Tuesday, the Chief Electoral Officer of Chandigarh had referred a complaint regarding the bulk WhatsApp messages to the Election Commission for “appropriate action.” The district media certification and monitoring committee found prima facie evidence of a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
By directing the government to stop the “Viksit Bharat Sampark” WhatsApp campaign during the ongoing elections, the Election Commission aims to ensure a level playing field for all political parties and maintain the integrity of the electoral process.