EC panel’s report on ‘social media & polls’ to come in April, but no early action likely

NEW DELHI: The 14-member panel set up by the Election Commission in January to study how social media and other digital platforms are used ahead of polls may submit its report only next month, rendering it too late to be implemented in the run-up to not only the Karnataka assembly election but also subsequent polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh this year.

“The recommendations will be sent to the law ministry and Parliament for approval. We will need at least six month for things to get moving,” a person aware of the matter said on condition of anonymity.

This comes at a time when concerns raised by the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal over voter related data being illegally used to influence elections are likely to mount additional pressure on the commission over regulating the use of social media during the implementation of the moral code of conduct (MCC) ahead of the upcoming polls.

The mandate of the panel – which has met only once so far, according to the person cited earlier – is to not only suggest how the election law could be modified but also how to regulate several media platforms in the 48-hour period before voting, especially for multi-phase elections.

One of the key suggestions the panel is looking at, according to people privy to the details, is to include social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in the ambit of Section 126, which deals with violations of the MCC.

Through rules in the MCC, the commission has the power to disqualify a candidate who breaches the model code.

The MCC bars a candidate from displaying to the public any election matter by means of television or other similar apparatus 48 hours before the voting.

There are no provisions currently to penalise candidates or other individuals who violate this code on the social media platform.

The commission has been mulling over a new social media policy since it first brought out a list of instructions on social media monitoring in 2013.

While it had asked candidates to declare expenditure on social media as part of their expenditure under the print/electronic media head, it had said that it was in talks with the information and technology ministry to formulate a comprehensive policy.