Assembly polls: EC says it acted against 11,000 online posts for violations, ‘false narratives’

The Election Commission on Sunday said that it has so far taken action against more than 11,000 social media posts since the dates for the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal were announced on March 15.

The actions taken by the poll panel included ordering content to be removed, issuing clarifications and filing first information reports.

The poll panel said that it was monitoring social media for posts that violate the Model Code of Conduct, create false narratives against the electoral process or have the potential to disrupt law and order. The action was being taken by state nodal officers under the Information Technology Act.

The Mode Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the poll panel that political parties, candidates and governments must follow during an election. It sets guardrails for speeches, campaigning, meetings, processions, election manifestos and other aspects of the polls.

Polling in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry was held on April 9. Voting will take place in Tamil Nadu on April 23 and in West Bengal on April 23 and April 29. The votes will be counted on May 4.

The Election Commission said that social media platforms need to act within three hours on posts that the poll panel deems...

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