cVigil, EC's app to upload poll violations

Tirupati: Acting tough on political parties violating Model Code of Conduct (MCC), the Election Commission of India (ECI) has brought a new application called 'cVigil' (Citizens Vigil) which is aimed at ensuring the parties follow the guidelines of MCC.

The EC has launched the app initially in 2018 and was tested during the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Telangana and now it has decided to implement the app in the ensuing general elections.

The app will be a weapon in the hands of the people, said one official on election duty.

By using it, people can record any violation of the code of conduct in the form of photos or videos and send it to the election authority concerned.

People have to download the app in their Android mobiles and record any violations they come across during the poll process and forward them to the election authorities.

The EC will act tough on any violation of MCC.

It is a user-friendly application which can be easily operated by the people having Android mobile in their hands, provided the mobile should have internet connection, camera and GPS access.

People on finding violation of MCC can immediately click a photograph or record a two-minute video and upload in the app.

Using Geographic Information System (GIS) with the help of the app, that person will get a unique ID to track and receive the follow up updates on her or his mobile.

A citizen can report as many incidents as he comes across in this manner and will get a unique identity for each one of them.

The uploaded information will be transmitted to the control room from where the field units or flying squads mapped on a GIS will be alerted to take immediate action.

The complainant will have an option of choosing his identity as anonymous or not.

The authorities will take action within 100 minutes from the time of submitting the complaint with proof and if the complainant does not opt for anonymity, he will get action taken report too soon after that.

The returning officers were saying that it will be helpful for vigilant people, who want to help the authorities curb malpractices by political leaders.

In the absence of such an app so far, the election authorities could not follow the violations of MCC instantly, which helped the political parties to violate them according to their will.

Moreover, in the absence of documentary evidence and proper responsive system like photographs and videos they were not in a position to take action.

The 'cVigil' app is expected to address these gaps and will become a good tool in controlling the violations of MCC to ensure a free and fair poll.