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EC launches ‘Know Your Candidate’ app for voters

The application has been made available for download on both the Android and iOS platforms, the chief election commissioner informed….reports Asian Lite News

Before announcing the dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at a crowded press conference in the national capital, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Saturday said the poll watcdog has launched a new mobile application called Know Your Candidate (KYC) that will enable voters to find out if any electoral candidate in their constituency has criminal antecedents.

The application has been made available for download on both the Android and iOS platforms, the chief election commissioner informed.

Expanding on the new mobile application, the poll panel chief said, “We have come up with a new mobile application that will enable voters to find out if a candidate, who is bidding to represent them in the Lok Sabha, has a criminal background. The application is called ‘Know Your Candidate’ or ‘KYC’.”

At the press conference, the Commission declared that the Lok Sabha elections will be held across seven phases, while assembly elections to four states–Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal and Sikkim–will also be held simultaneously in separate single phases.

Sharing further details on the KYC app, the CEC noted that voters have the right to know about the criminal records, if any, of candidates from their constituencies, as well as their assets and liabilities.

“The voters can also now check for themselves the assets and liabilities that candidates with criminal antecedents hold. All relevant information in this regard will be made available on this application,” Kumar said.

He added that the parties fielding such candidates will also have to explain the rationale behind the decision, while the nominees with a criminal past, themselves, would also be required to bring all information in the public domain.

“Candidates with a criminal record are required to publish or make public this information in newspapers on television thrice,” the poll panel chief added.

“The parties giving tickets to such tainted candidates have to explain why they chose them over other, more deserving, claimants. They have to clearly state the basis of selection of a candidate with a criminal background,” Kumar said.

The Know your Candidate (KYC) app is available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, the Election Commission posted on its website while also sharing the QR code to download the app.

Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh will be held on May 13 while Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will poll in a single phase on April 19. Bypolls for 26 Assembly seats will also be held along with the Lok Sabha polls. (ANI)

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EC Joins Forces with Banks and Post for Voter Outreach

The ECI said that the initiative was in continuation of its untiring efforts to enhance electoral awareness in the country….reports Asian Lite News

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday signed a MoU with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the Department of Posts (DoP) to amplify its voter outreach and awareness efforts, ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The ECI said that the initiative was in continuation of its untiring efforts to enhance electoral awareness in the country.

Notably, the ECI had recently signed a MoU with the Ministry of Education to formally integrate electoral literacy into the curriculum of schools and colleges.

As part of the MoU, IBA and DoP with its members and affiliated institutions/units will extend support in promoting voter education through their extensive network on a pro-bono basis, employing various interventions to empower citizens with knowledge about their electoral rights, processes, and steps for registration and voting.

The ECI said that members and affiliated institutions/units will display voter education messages prominently on their websites, directing visitors to learn more about the electoral process.

Voter education content will be disseminated through various promotional channels such as social media and customer outreach platforms of member institutions, ensuring widespread awareness among stakeholders and the public.

Voter education messages will be displayed in the form of posters, flex, and hoardings at office infrastructure/premises at major locations, reaching customers at key touchpoints, an official added.

All member institutions under IBA and DoP will establish Voter Awareness Fora to engage employees and customers in discussions and initiatives related to voter education.

The DoP will affix a special cancellation stamp (bearing voter education messages) on postal articles.

Despite the ECI successfully managing and conducting elections over the years in a fair and peaceful way along with a significant increase in participation of the electors, there is also a concern that around 30 crore electors (out of 91 crore), did not cast their votes in the 2019 General Elections.

“The voting percentage was 67.4 per cent, which the Commission has taken as a challenge to improve upon,” the ECI added.

The ECI said that this collaboration with the IBA and DoP was a significant step towards strengthening democracy by empowering citizens with knowledge and awareness about their electoral rights and responsibilities.

Through concerted efforts, both organisations are committed to fostering a culture of informed and active participation in the electoral process.

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EC directs all employees to remove TikTok from devices

TikTok. (Photo:Unsplash)

The suspension also extends to workers’ personal devices where they are used for work purposes…reports Asian Lite News

The European Commission (EC) on Thursday directed all employees to remove Chinese short-video making app TikTok from their corporate devices.

The Commission’s Corporate Management Board decided to suspend the use of the TikTok application on its corporate devices and on personal devices enrolled in the Commission mobile device service.

“This measure aims to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyber-attacks against the corporate environment of the Commission. The security developments of other social media platforms will also be kept under constant review,” the EC said in a statement.

The suspension also extends to workers’ personal devices where they are used for work purposes.

“The measure is in line with Commission strict internal cybersecurity policies for use of mobile devices for work-related communications. It complements long-standing Commission advice to staff to apply best practices when using social media platforms and keep high-level cyber awareness in their daily work,” said the commission.

EU flags are seen outside the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 6, 2023.(Xinhua/Zheng Huansong/IANS)

The US House of Representatives recently ordered its staff to delete TikTok from official work devices.

US Senator Michael Bennett this month urged Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai to immediately remove TikTok from their app stores, calling it an unacceptable risk to national security.

TikTok is now the third-most popular social media app in the US, with over 100 million American users spending more than 80 minutes per day on the app.

The US also plans to ban Chinese short video-making app TikTok nationwide, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a vote soon on a bill to completely block the platform.

In 2020, India banned TikTok and several other Chinese apps for allegedly sharing user data with China.

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Election Commission postpones Islamabad local body polls

A five-member bench had reserved the verdict earlier in the day after arguments were concluded in the case…reports Asian Lite News

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday postponed the local government elections scheduled for December 31 in Islamabad, reported Geo News.

The polls scheduled for Dec 31 were deferred following a change in the union councils of the federal capital. The electoral body last week issued an order to continue the process of holding local government elections in the federal capital, saying that the union councils were increased in violation of the related law.

A five-member bench had reserved the verdict earlier in the day after arguments were concluded in the case. During today’s hearing, former attorney general Ashtar Ausaf, who is representing the federal government in the case, told the bench that the union councils were increased in Islamabad based on the increase in population, reported Geo News.

Ausaf told the bench that the census bureau had informed about the increase in Islamabad’s population, adding that the ECP must look at the increase in population.

“The Islamabad High Court (IHC) also recognised the increase in population but authorised the Election Commission to take the final decision after listening to the government’s point of view,” Ausaf told the bench.

“In the past, even after the schedule was released, elections were postponed. The Election Commission has to decide according to the constitution and the law,” said Ausaf, adding that the ECP cannot deprive citizens of their fundamental rights.

The lawyer also told the bench that the Parliament has passed the legislation increasing the number of union councils, adding that ECP must conduct delimitation in Islamabad in light of the new law, reported Geo News.

Meanwhile, a member of the ECP wondered why there was a sudden increase in the population in six months. The lawyer informed that the government reviewed NADRA’s data.

However, CEC Raja said that the delimitation of constituencies was done for Islamabad twice. He also gave the example of Punjab where the exercise was done twice and is now being done for the third time, reported Geo News.

“Why did the government not realise at the right time to increase the UCs,” asked CEC Raja. He added that UCs were increased once the election schedule was issued, saying that the government has put the electoral body in a difficult situation.

Meanwhile, PTI’s lawyer Babar Awan told the bench that the ECP has already issued the schedule and elections are supposed to be held on December 31, reminding that the law has been changed twice.

Awan said that the ECP was being misled by the government.

“If a mistake is made then the commission should provide assistance,” responded Ausaf. However, CEC Raja reminded the counsel that a mistake is made once not again and again.

Meanwhile, Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan, a member of the bench, remarked that general elections are also supposed to be held, and wondered what would happen to the future of local body elections.

On the other hand, CEC Raja said that the ECP fears that the government may change the UCs again, adding that the government has to stop this at some point, reported Geo News.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) counsel Hassan Javed reminded the bench that the people of Islamabad have been deprived of representation for the last two years.

He told the bench that his party is standing with the ECP. He added that the IHC in its judgment did not challenge the ECP’s order, reported Geo News.

After listening to all the parties, CEC Raja, while wrapping up the hearing, remarked that the voter list has no link with the election schedule.

The bench after hearing all the arguments reserved its verdict in the case. (ANI)

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