ECI Directs MeitY To Halt 'Viksit Bharat' Messages Over Whatsapp

BY A STAFF REPORTER: In a significant move, the Election Commission of India on Thursday ordered the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to immediately halt the delivery of 'Viksit Bharat' messages over Whatsapp. 

Moreover, ECI has also demanded a compliance report on the matter from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. 

The move comes as many recipients received the messages after the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule and imposition of MCC. However, the MeitY in their defense said that the messages were sent before the announcement but some of them could have possibly been delivered to recipients with a delay because of systemic and network limitations. 

Whatsapp users across the country received a message from an account named 'Viksit Bharat Sampark'. The message came with an attached PDF of a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and highlighted various schemes of the Government of India under the BJP rule. Most messages were received after the imposition of MCC which violates the use of Government tools for promoting schemes or initiatives of any political party.