Social media making mockery of democracy

Amaravati: Though the polling is over and some of the contestants are planning to take a break and spend some time with their family since they have a gruelling wait of 41 days before the results are declared, social media and other organisations are becoming hyper active and playing havoc.

Despite clear instructions from the Election Commission of India that no exit poll should be telecast or made public, anyone with a mobile phone is turning into a psephologist.

What is worse is that if anyone does not agree with the self-styled psephologists, they are abused in unprintable language. It gives an impression that only those who post what they like on social media have the right of expression not others. They even come up with morphed photos which are in bad taste and makes a mockery of democracy.

On the other hand, some organisations are taking up the responsibility of preaching what is correct and what is not and are taking sides. The most unfortunate aspect is that there is no organisation which can control such menace.

Soon after the polling for Assembly elections were over, the hyper active social media activists who never go into the field are coming up with surveys of different kind causing greater confusion among the people.

None of those surveys explain what the scientific basis of those surveys is, who did it and when was it done. Interestingly, they are declaring the results constituency wise with percentage of victory margin as well and are widely circulated through WhatsApp groups.

But the same social media did not bother to post even a word raising concern about the problems faced by the general public on the day of polling when even drinking water facility was not made available at the polling booths by the Election Commission and when 35 per cent of EVMs did not work.