Thiruvananthapuram: The Election Commission's cVIGIL mobile application, designed to report violations of the election code of conduct, has received a total of 1,07,202 complaints in the state, said Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Kaul in a statement on Sunday. This data covers the period from March 16 to April 7, following the issuance of the election notification.
Out of these, action was taken on 1,05,356 valid complaints, with ongoing actions for 183 more. The complaints primarily concern unauthorized posters, banners, boards, and posters lacking mandatory information, as well as defacement of properties, unauthorized cash transactions, misuse of vehicles, distribution of liquor and gifts, display of weapons, and hate speeches, said Kaul.
The majority of complaints, 93,540, were related to unauthorized posters and banners. Additionally, 5,908 complaints were registered for defacement of properties, while 2,150 complaints addressed posters lacking mandatory information, and 177 complaints involved unauthorized vehicle usage.
Other complaints included instances of cash distribution (29), liquor distribution (32), distribution of gifts (24), display of weapons (110), hate speeches (19), and misuse of loudspeakers beyond permitted hours (10).
The Chief Electoral Officer in the press release also emphasised that any election code violation could be promptly reported using the cVIGIL application.
The cVIGIL app is accessible for download on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Complaints submitted through the app, accompanied by photos or videos under two minutes and a brief description, would receive action within 100 minutes of submission.
The application facilitates reporting of a wide range of violations, including carrying weapons, intimidation, distribution of gifts, liquor, or money, instances of paid news, unauthorized posters or banners, property defacement, hate speeches, messages, voter transportation on election day, and unauthorized use of loudspeakers.
Complaints filed via cVIGIL are directed to district control rooms managed by collectorates. Upon receipt, local monitoring squads are promptly notified for investigation, with feedback relayed back to the district centre within 30 minutes.
Immediate actions are taken at the district level for pertinent issues, while others are forwarded to the Chief Electoral Office. Complainants are informed promptly about actions taken, and officials can monitor the status of complaints in real time using the Geographic Information System (GIS).
Each complaint submitted generates a unique ID for direct follow-up via mobile. Personal details of complainants remain confidential, and only photos taken directly from the scene are accepted to prevent false reports and misuse of circulated images from external sources. This stringent approach ensures the accuracy and integrity of reported violations through the cVIGIL application.
