Indian poll body directs central government to halt 'Viksit Bharat' messages on WhatsApp
Viksit Bharat
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday (Mar 21) asked the central government to stop sending the "Viksit Bharat" messages over WhatsApp.
The message to the Indian Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology comes after the poll body received several complaints regarding the delivery of messages.
Concerns were raised over the message by the governmentbeing delivered on citizens' phones despite the announcement of the General Elections 2024 and the Model Code of Conduct entering into force.
"In response, MeitY had informed the commission that although the letters were sent out before MCC came into force, some of them could have possibly been delivered to recipients with a delay because of systemic and network limitations," the ECI said.
"A Compliance report on the matter has been demanded immediately from MeitY," it added.
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What did the 'Viksit Bharat Sampark' message read?
The message delivered to users on their WhatsApp account read, "This letter has been sent by the Government of India under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji."
"In the last ten years, more than 140 crore citizens of India have directly benefited from the various schemes of the Government of India and will continue to benefit in the future," it said.
"Your feedback and suggestions are very important to fulfil the aspirations of a Viksit Bharat. Therefore, you are requested to kindly type and share your feedback and suggestions," it further added.
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In its bio, the sender, with the name 'Viksit Bharat Sampark', noted that it is an ongoing initiative of the Government of India for evaluation of the flagship schemes and improvement in their implementation and delivery.
The move is a series of decisions by the election commission which are aimed at ensuring a level playing field in the Lok Sabha polls.
(With inputs from agencies)