Bihar Assembly Elections: ECI Deploys C-Vigil App & Flying Squads to Ensure Free and Fair Voting

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) reaffirmed its pledge to conduct free and fair elections on Tuesday by allowing citizens to report poll irregularities during the Bihar Assembly Elections and eight simultaneous bye-elections in seven states. According to a press release from the poll panel, voters and political parties can now file complaints about Model Code of Conduct (MCC) infractions using the C-Vigil app on the ECINet platform. 

The ECI has instructed the corresponding state and Union Territory administrations to strictly adhere to its directives in order to guarantee the MCC's stringent enforcement. 824 flying squads have been installed around Bihar as part of the enforcement mechanism, and their mission is to handle complaints within 100 minutes of being filed. 

In the Bihar elections and bye-election regions, 650 complaints have been filed through the C-Vigil App since its inception. According to the Commission, 649 of these complaints have been settled, and 612 of them, or almost 94%, were handled within the allotted 100 minutes, demonstrating the system's effectiveness.

Along with the digital platform, a thorough complaint monitoring system has been implemented, which includes a contact center that is open around-the-clock and can be approached at the call number 1950. Any member of the public or political party can use this tool to immediately lodge complaints to the relevant Returning Officer (RO) or District Election Officer (DEO).

The combined efforts of different police agencies have also resulted in major confiscation of unaccounted cash, booze, drugs, precious metals, and other electoral freebies. Seizures totaling more than Rs 71.32 crore have been made so far in the different election-related states and union territories.

This coordinated strategy demonstrates the Commission's proactive approach to using technology and law enforcement to protect voting integrity and guarantee an open, equitable election process.