Plea in Andhra Pradesh High Court against use of 'eWatch' by SEC

Amaravati: A lawyer has moved the Andhra Pradesh High Court to seek an order to restrain State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar from using 'eWatch', an election monitoring digital app.

In his petition, advocate K Sudhakar from Prakasam district instead sought the use of 'CVIGIL' app of the Election Commission of India or 'Nigha' of the state government.

Questions have been raised as to when and how the tenders for developing 'eWatch' were notified.

On Wednesday, Kumar launched 'election watch' or 'eWatch' to monitor the ongoing rural local body elections, which the State Election Commission secretary Kannababu said the app was developed in-house.

Some of the categories in which people can lodge complaints include public officials involved in promotion of candidates or parties, canvassing within 100 metre of polling stations, booth capturing and election-related violence.

However, the ruling YSRCP leaders allege that the app has been developed to "benefit" the opposition TDP. They have instead launched their own app 'Netram' to solicit complaints from the public.

Before these two apps, the TDP was the first political party to solicit complaints from the public on election violations in the form of photographs and videos.

The TDP had set up a control room with a call centre number to receive the complaints, including on WhatsApp.

"Please take the advisories from advocates of the party's legal cell," said a TDP leader, aimed at helping TDP supporters contesting the elections.