Former Chief Election Commissioners (CECs), at a round-table conference on Monday, said that effective measures should be taken by the election body to counter the negative influence of social media ahead of polls.
“They suggested that steps should be taken, particularly in the last 48 hours ahead of elections, to counter the undue influence of social media,” said a senior official.
The meeting was attended by former CECs M. S. Gill, J. M. Lyngdoh, T. S. Krishna Murthy, B. B. Tandon, S. Y. Quraishi, V. S. Sampath, H. R. Bramha and Nasim Zaidi, and former Election Commissioner G. V. G. Krishnamurthy.
While one former CEC suggested that the matching of EVM and VVPAT slips should be done at more polling stations, the others recommended more stringent action against abuse of money power.
“However, they appreciated the action taken during the Karnataka elections in which over ₹180 crore was seized. They also expressed satisfaction over the preparations being taken for the 2019 general elections,” said the official.
The conference was organised at the initiative of Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat.
“It was noted that the universal use of EVM/VVPAT is a commendable initiative. It was opined that awareness programmes should be extended to educate all the voters about its benefits. This will help in avoiding any controversy about its use,” the Commission said.
The former Election Commissioners also expressed concern over the hate speeches that were being used during campaigns, vitiating the political atmosphere. “There is an urgent need to control such speeches in the larger public interest,” said the EC.
“It was deliberated to analyse the duration of polls so that the number of phases is reduced. The lesser number of phases will reduce the period of Model Code of Conduct, which has its implications in multiple phases of elections,” the Commission said.
