ECI disposes 90 pc of complaints, expresses satisfaction with campaign conduct

New Delhi [India], May 14 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) has disposed of 90 per cent of 425 complaints it received in the last two months and no major complaints were pending from parties except Congress and BJP.

In a recent press release, the ECI expressed satisfaction with the overall conduct of the campaign during this period. They noted that the campaign space has been “violence-free, less noisy, less cluttered and intrusive, and free of inducement and ostentatiousness.”

This marks the second suo motu report on the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the 2024 general elections, following the first report released on April 16, 2024.

In its report, the ECI said, “Approximately 425 major complaints, excluding canvassing related or clarificatory complaints, have been filed by various political parties and candidates at the level of ECI and CEOs. Of these, action has been taken (or matter disposed) in 400 cases.”

“Approximately 170, 95, and 160 complaints were filed by Congress, BJP and others, respectively. Most of these complaints have been acted upon,” the ECI added.

The Election Commission also reiterates that it expects “Star campaigners, particularly national parties, to lead by example in the next phases and not vitiate the delicate fabric of society.”

The Commission in its press release informed that a total of 4,22,432 complaints have been filed on C-Vigil App as of May 14, 2024. Of these, action has been taken in 4,22,079 (99.9%) cases, and of these, 88.7% of complaints were resolved in an average time of less than 100 minutes.

Regarding the cVIGIL App, the ECI praised its effectiveness and said, “Because of the robustness of the cVIGIL App, there is a substantial reduction in illegal hoardings, defacement of property, campaigning beyond permissible time, deployment of vehicles beyond permitted ones.

The cVIGIL is a mobile application developed by the ECI to enable citizens to report violations of the Model Code of Conduct.

The Commission reiterated that it chose to put this information in public so that the most important stakeholders, the voters and the political parties get real-time information on measures taken to maintain a level playing field.

The Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) Rajiv Kumar during the last two months, has taken actions with far-reaching and systemic implications in cleaning up the campaign space in the long term, as against only in an episodic prescriptive manner.