Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Agarwal on Wednesday said that ahead of general elections 2024, people will now play an important role in adhering to the Model Code of Conduct for the Commission. Citizens need to be vigilant and participate in the elections. For this purpose, the Election Commission has developed the C-Vigil mobile app, he added.
Agarwal further said that through the C-Vigil mobile app, the general public has been empowered to act as election observers, where they can lodge complaints of violations of the Model Code of Conduct. Citizens can also send photos, videos, and audio through their mobile phones to the C-Vigil app. Action will be taken on the respective complaint within 100 minutes.
CEO said that citizens would play a crucial role for the Election Commission and could contribute to making it impartial, clean, and transparent. He said that citizens can download this application from the Google Play Store for Android phones and from the App Store for iPhones.
Agarwal further informed that the general public can upload photos or record two-minute videos on this app. The photo and video will be uploaded to the app with GPS location. The complaint will be resolved within 100-minute of filing.
Additionally, the complaints can also be filed on the National Grievance Redressal System portal. He said that the Flying Squads and Surveillance Teams provide live information, and teams near the location where the complaint is received through the C-Vigil app will immediately reach there.
Training given to employees on election process
Agarwal said that in view of the Lok Sabha elections, the state-level master trainers provided training to employees on various topics related to the election process. Additionally, 16 nodal officers have also been appointed. He said that to ensure compliance with the Model Code of Conduct, the Election Commission has issued directions to all Chief Electoral Officers of states and Union Territories.
Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMCs) have been formed at the State and district levels, which will monitor advertisements released by candidates and political parties during elections or any kind of paid news.
MCMC chairman formed at the state-level is the Chief Electoral Officer. In addition to the Additional Director or Director level officer from PIB/BOC, Observers appointed by the Election Commission of India, officer from Indian Information Service, Citizen or Journalists nominated by the Press Council of India are members of this committee, while the Additional/Joint Chief Electoral Officer is the Member Secretary of the committee.
CEO said that for the convenience of the media, a media center has been set up at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Chandigarh. At the district level, media centers will also be set up in the District Information Public Relations Officer's office, he added.