The Election Commission instructed the IT Ministry today to make sure that, while the election code was in effect, WhatsApp messages endorsing the Center’s “Viksit Bharat” campaign were prevented from reaching users’ phones nationwide.
The EC said it had been getting complaints about these communications continuing to reach individuals even after the poll code went into effect on March 16 and was requesting a compliance report from the ministry.
The EC said that these communications were being received by individuals in contravention of its instructions in a letter to the IT Secretary. Delivery delays may have resulted from system design and network constraints, according to the IT Ministry. Social media users were incensed by the texts that had inundated their phones, not only in India but also in Europe and the US. A few people were curious about how the Indian government had access to a phone database located overseas.