The cVIGIL app deployed by the State election authority to ensure citizens’ participation in bringing model code violations to the notice of the officials is paying dividends.
The election officials have received as many as 2,520 complaints of model code violations by political parties and candidates through cVIGIL so far. Of these, 1,483 complaints were found to be genuine after the verification by the flying and static squads, while another 460 were dropped as they were found to be not serious in nature. Peddapalli district accounted for the largest number of 173 genuine complaints, followed by Medchal-Malkajgiri (166) and Jagtial (162). Warangal (Rural) district reported the least number of genuine complaints with just one. The election officials said the app has been successful as it was taking less than 100 minutes for the returning officers concerned to initiate action from the time of receipt of a complaint.
According to the officials, it would take less than 10 minutes for vigilant citizens to take picture/video of model code violation and upload it on to the Android-based app and its subsequent onward transmission to the respective district control rooms. The complainant would be given a unique identification number that would be helpful in tracking the complaint and know the status of redressal.
Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar said the app has come handy for poll authorities for streamlining the election process and making it free of violations. All the genuine complaints were being forwarded to the national grievance portal of the Election Commission for initiating action at its level. The app is foolproof in that it would not allow pre-recorded images/videos and the complainant would not be allowed to save the picture/video in the gallery.
