Mysuru: Additional State Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr. M.N. Ajay Nagabhushan has asked the electoral officers in the district to ensure that the Model Code of Conduct is strictly implemented and a day-to-day account of the implementation must be sent to the State Election Commission (SEC). Along with the Model Code, expenditure of the candidates must also be strictly monitored and reports have to be sent to the State authorities.

Addressing the election officers through video conference from Election Commission Office in Bengaluru this morning, Dr. Ajay Nagabhushan told the district officers led by Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar, who is the District Electoral Officer and Returning Officer, that information and data must be collected from various sources including Static Surveillance Teams, check posts, flying squads, Police and Excise teams and the Model Code of Conduct must be implemented strictly.

The Additional State CEC’s video conference assumes significance as the poll dates near where political parties will try and induce voters with money, liquor and freebies. Dr. Ajay Nagabhushan told the election officers and expenditure observers to prepare a daily observation list of candidate expenditure and compare the same with the actual expenditure list furnished by the candidates.

He directed the officers to set right the discrepancies in the list of expenditures prepared by the observers and the list of expenditure provided by the candidates before sending the final list to the State Election Commission. He also directed them to ensure that no names of voters are left out from the voters list and voters slip is sent to all homes. Duplication of names must be avoided, he directed.

1950 CONTROL ROOM

The control room set up to handle calls received on number 1950 has so far received 3,472 calls. The control room has been established on the first floor of the DC Office and is manned by three officers 24/7 in three shifts.

The call details are forwarded to National Grievances Redressal Portal and are updated regularly. This morning, three officers — Guruprasad of Tribal Welfare Department, Alton Lobo and C.A. Chandru of the Education Department — were receiving the calls. The control room officials work in three shifts — 6 am to 2 pm, 2 pm to 10 pm and 10 pm to 6 am.

Most of the calls were from voters who wanted to make sure that their names are there in the voters list. Many of them wanted to know about their polling booths. Officials told Star of Mysore that they get calls of civic grievances too.

cVIGIL App

Deputy Director of Land Records K. Ramya is the Nodal Officer of cVIGIL App (which stands for “citizens’ vigil”) that allows people to record any violation of the code of conduct and send it to the relevant election authority.

The app allows any person to click a picture or record a two-minute video in case there is a violation of the code of conduct. The photo or video then can be easily uploaded on the cVIGIL app. Ramya told SOM that so far, 50 complaints have been uploaded in the app and 29 of them were found to be genuine where the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) has taken action.

The citizen’s complaint is assigned to a Flying Squad team in the area which is expected to reach the spot within 15 minutes from the time of receipt of the complaint. After a preliminary inquiry by the team, a report is forwarded to the respective ARO through the cVIGIL investigator app. On the ARO’s response, the complainant will receive a message, she added.