‘The use of EVMs and VVPATS (Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail System) in the Telangana polls is a sign of India’s leadership in technology, logistics and organizational abilities,’ said Chief Electoral Officer-Telangana, Dr. Rajat Kumar, after inaugurating the Voter Awareness Centre at the Ranga Reddy district collectorate in Hyderabad on Monday.
In his interaction with the mediaduring the press meet, the Chief Electoral Officer emphasised that any violation of the Model Code of Conduct would be seriously dealt with. This was in response to queries regarding the alleged announcement of new schemes by the government which is a violation Part-VII of the Model Code.
The CEO Rajat Kumar also said that collection of voter data was progressing on the right track and that the deadline of October 8 – when final voter rolls are to be announced – would be met. Commenting on the role of social media, the Chief Electoral Officer highlighted that any measure to influence the polls in cyberspace wouldbe treated as a criminal offence. ‘Comments on FaceBook and Twitter will be monitored and users trying to incite violence will be brought to book by the respective authorities.’
The Rajat Kumar pointed out that the movement of cash, liquor and contraband was being closelymonitored in coordination with the state administration and the I-T department. ‘The Chief Electoral Office has been given powers to apprehend and seize contraband,’ he said.
The Chief Electoral Officer concluded his briefing by listing out several innovations introduced by the Election Commission that included webcasting, CCTVs, smartphone apps and C-vigil – a real-time monitoring and response mechanism.
