Delivery of 'Viksit Bharat' WhatsApp messages must stop immediately, MCC in force: ECI to MeitY

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday directed the government to ensure that no further messages on the topic of 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India) are sent to the public on the messaging service platform WhatsApp, as the Model Code of Conduct was already in force. Demanding that a compliance report be submitted in this regard by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the ECI said that no such messages, even if initiated earlier, should be delivered to users. 

"The move is part of a series of decisions taken by the Commission to ensure a level playing field," the ECI said.

Earlier, the poll agency received complaints from various quarters that such messages were still being delivered on the citizens' mobile phones. 

The ministry had informed the Commission that the messages, along with a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were sent before the Model Code of Conduct came into force on March 16.

Some of the messages "could have possibly been delivered to recipients with a delay because of systemic and network limitations", the ministry said in a communication to the ECI.

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Model Code of Conduct (MCC)

The ECI's Model Code of Conduct (MCC), a set of guidelines on the conduct of political parties during elections, came into effect after the poll agency announced the schedule of the 2024 general elections on March 16. 

The MCC specifies a long list of dos and don'ts for political parties and candidates, with an aim to ensure fair and ethical conduct, while promoting transparency and accountability of the polling process, and, above all, a level playing field during elections. 

It is by setting these standards that the Election Commission upholds the integrity of the electoral process.

The Model Code of Conduct covers a wide range of aspects related to elections, including provisions related to general conduct, meetings, campaigning, meetings, public speeches, polling booth agents, and security measures. Read more on ECI's Model Code of Conduct (MCC)