Collecting voter info for post-election benefits is bribery, EC says
Parties have been soliciting information from voters in the guise of surveys through various mechanisms such as missed calls, pamphlets, party workers, etc, which is illegal
Source - ECI
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked all political parties to immediately stop collecting personal data from voters — enrolling/registering them – under the guise of surveys.
The ECI said in a notice, “Some political parties and candidates have been engaging in activities that blur the lines between legitimate surveys and partisan efforts to register individuals for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes”.
Such inducements lead to potential gain post-elections in the minds of voters and amounts to bribery under Section 123(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, it said.
It has been common practice for decades for party workers to collect voter info and promise benefits in future, and more dangerously, dire consequences if not voted into power. Often, loyal voters are paid handsomely with jobs, etc, while those who don’t vote are punished.
This time, parties have been collecting information through various channels such as Whatsapp, Apps, newspaper ads, etc. While promising benefits through party manifesto is legal, the efforts to collect personal info is a one-to-one interaction and points to individual benefits, the ECI suggested.
District Election Officers have been assigned to take action against such practices.
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