6,000 complaints regarding MCC violations in 25 days: Chief Electoral Officer Delhi

New Delhi: With Delhi polls scheduled for Wednesday, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Delhi R Alice Vaz on Sunday said that more than 6,000 complaints regarding violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) have been filed in the last 25 days.

To ensure a level playing field for all political parties contesting the elections, Vaz emphasized that the permissions for campaign meetings are granted without any interference. However, these permissions must be applied through the online platform.

Moreover, the CEO said that citizens can also lodge complaints through the cVIGIL application, where the complaint needs to be addressed within a 100-minute time frame. However, the average response time to address the complaints stands at 36 minutes, Vaz added

“When MCC came into force – as elections were announced – we immediately had meetings with all political parties at the CEO and DEO level. If the political parties want to hold meetings for campaign purposes, they will have to apply online. We ensure that permissions to all are given without any interference. We have a cVIGIL application. If anyone has any complaint, they can immediately file the complaint using our portal. They can share the photo or even the video of the offence. We have to respond to it in 100 minutes – our average response time is 36 minutes. More than 6,000 complaints have been filed in the last 25 days,” the CEO Delhi told ANI.

Vaz further mentioned that the election commission is tasked to address the complaints regarding violations of the model code of conduct within 100 minutes, which is registered through technological means, and not closing the same is a violation itself.

She said that the average response time of the Election Commission to address the complaints related to violations of electoral offences was a violation in itself.

“We look into the complaints; we don’t know the motive behind the complaints. It is a technology-based application. Whenever we receive a complaint we have to address that and that too within 100 minutes. Our average response time is now 36 minutes. Otherwise, the complaint will not be closed. Not closing complaints related to violation of any electoral offence is a violation itself,” Vaz added.

This explanation comes days after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann alleged that raids were being conducted at his Delhi residence, Kapurthala House, stressing that no action is being taken against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Parvesh Verma while he is “openly distributing” cash.

“Parvesh Verma is openly distributing cash but they can’t see him. He tweets and informs where he will distribute money. They don’t pay attention to that. But the raid is conducted at the residence of Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal, Saurabh Bharadwaj. Are we criminals? What have we done?” Mann remarked while addressing the gathering at a public rally in Greater Kailash on January 30.

Meanwhile, Vaz informed about the several activities being undertaken by the Election Commission to ensure a smooth experience for the voters. She said that nearly 7,552 people have adopted for home voting.

“For the last month, we have been undertaking various SVEEP (Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation) activities. These activities will increase the voting percentage. We completed home voting, yesterday. 7,552 voters adopted for home voting and approximately 96% of them utilised this facility,” Vaz said.

The Delhi Assembly elections will take place in a single phase on February 5, with the vote counting scheduled for February 8. (ANI)