The Chief Election Commissioner of India, Rajiv Kumar, on Monday, October 9, said that no electoral roll-related activities are outsourced to external entities. "No election related work is outsourced to anyone. Who people vote for, it's their choice," he said, underlining the sanctity of the voting process. He further clarified that only officials, government servants, and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are authorised to engage in any form of survey or electoral roll-related work in the country. “Even the civil society's awareness efforts should not involve voter profiling,” he said.
The CEC said this while announcing the polling timetable for Telangana, as well as for the states of Rajasthan, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. In Telangana, there are approximately 3.17 crore individuals listed as eligible voters.
This comes after TNM and the Kannada digital platform Pratidhvani uncovered a large-scale voter data theft in Bengaluru last year. We had exposed how Chilume Trust, founded by Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Ravikumar Krishnappa, covertly collected voter data of Bengaluru citizens by making field agents pose as election officials. This breach was facilitated by multiple government orders that permitted the private trust to 'raise awareness' about voter rights. Furthermore, Chilume enlisted hundreds of young workers, offering them Rs 15,000 per month for fieldwork. The source of funding for such a large-scale operation remains unclear.
Following TNM’s expose, which created a major political storm, the ECI ordered a 100% check of all deletions and additions to the electoral rolls in Shivajinagar and two more constituencies by December 24, 2022.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced the schedule for assembly polls in five states — Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram. The announcement of crucial dates for the electoral process, encompassing nomination filing, polling days, and result declaration for all five states.
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