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The Election Commission grapples with a staggering influx of over 15,000 complaints regarding electoral matters, raising concerns about the conduct and integrity of the election procedure in the recently concluded assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.
The majority of grievances, notably from the Gwalior-Chambal region, highlight issues against police, employees, and officials, emphasizing irregularities in EVM operations and strong room concerns.
Amidst the surge in complaints, several officials including Collectors and Superintendents of Police have been removed after allegations were filed against them.
Challenges Faced and Solutions Proposed
The deluge of complaints has brought to light multiple challenges faced by the Election Commission in effectively addressing these issues. A lack of prompt information channels and difficulties in tracking violations have hindered the process of enforcing the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The Commission’s recent experience has underscored the need for a more robust and responsive system to handle complaints swiftly and accurately. Enter cVIGIL: an innovative mobile application designed to revolutionize the reporting and resolution of MCC and Expenditure violations during elections.
cVIGIL: Transforming Electoral Oversight
The cVIGIL app aims to fill critical gaps in the complaint reception and redressal system. Unlike its predecessor, this user-friendly application facilitates real-time reporting of violations, allowing citizens to provide live photos and videos with auto location capture, ensuring credible digital evidence.
Its features are tailored to prevent misuse, restricting its usage to the geographical boundaries of states where elections are taking place. The app's design mandates prompt reporting within five minutes of capturing an incident, preventing pre-recorded uploads or saving of images/videos to the phone gallery.
Enhanced Efficiency, Reduced Misuse
Efficiency enhancements come in the form of a five-minute time delay between successive complaints from the same person, discouraging repetitive reports from a single spot. District Controllers are empowered to filter out frivolous or unrelated cases before assigning them to field units.
While emphasizing the role of vigilant citizens in ensuring free and fair elections, cVIGIL underscores the importance of using the app strictly for lodging MCC violation-related cases. The Election Commission encourages citizens to use the app responsibly and provides alternative channels for unrelated complaints.
As the Election Commission grapples with a surge in complaints and strives for a fair electoral process, the cVIGIL app emerges as a promising tool. Its utilization promises to streamline the reporting, action, and monitoring of electoral violations, providing a beacon of hope for future elections.
The Election Commission’s adoption of cVIGIL signals a transformative step towards a more accountable, transparent, and efficient electoral oversight mechanism, empowering citizens and officials alike in upholding the sanctity of the electoral process.