The Election Returning officers of Thane Parliamentary constituency have received a total of 148 complaints regarding violations of the model code of conduct (MCC) through the cVIGIL (Citizen Vigilance) application. Of these, the returning officials found 117 violations to be correct.
A senior official from the Thane collector's office informed that the 148 complaints were registered on cVIGIL since the MCC came into effect on March 16.
However, the returning officer of the respective constituency found 31 complaints to be invalid and dropped them.
The nature of the complaints included property defacement, intimidation, and spreading fake news, among others. "We cannot reveal the name of the complainants even if the complaints are found invalid," said the official.
Citizens are encouraged to use the cVIGIL app to report any infractions of the code of conduct, ensuring swift intervention from Election Commission authorities. In adherence to protocol, action on reported violations will be taken within 10 minutes, with comprehensive reports submitted within 90 minutes.
According to the official Thane Collector, around 43 complaints were resolved within 100 minutes. "In many cases, the response time was less than 10 minutes," said the official. He added that wherever complaints were found valid and violations of MMC occurred, a police complaint has been lodged.
Following the implementation of the model code of conduct for parliamentary elections, activities such as putting up political banners, hoardings, and painting on walls without election commission permission are prohibited. In this instance, permission was not sought for the reported violations.