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Campaign by phone on polling day, say Mumbai voters

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People queue up for Voting inside a school in Mumbai

People queue up for Voting inside a school in Mumbai
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

Voters from Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region have complained of receiving phone calls from various political parties seeking votes even on election day.

A resident of south Mumbai shared screenshots of messages that she received displaying her voter information, a candidate from her constituency and a party symbol, and urging her to vote for the party. “It is shocking to learn that our phone numbers are leaked, and our details are available for access by anyone,” said the resident.

Another voter said, “The phone calls were not from a recorded bot, it was a person speaking, telling me my details and asking me to press their party symbol. One call claimed to be from a polling booth and another one claimed to be from the Election Commission.”

Kiran Kulkarni, Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra, said there is a “silence period” of 48 hours before the polls. The Election Commission has given clear direction that under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), any kind of campaigning that could influence voters during the 48-hour period is not permitted, he said. This includes a ban on political campaigning or any kind of advertisement that can influence voters. The Election Commission has warned of strict action on violators.

Citizens can download a mobile application, cVIGIL, developed by the Election Commission to enable citizens to report violations of the MCC during elections. The app is available for download on Android and iOS devices. To report a violation, users simply need to open the app, select the type of violation, and provide details of the incident, including location, time, and photographs or videos. The app also allows users to track the progress of their complaints, explained Mr. Kulkarni.

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