Gautam Budh Nagar returning officer issues notices to 16 candidates

NOIDA: With all political parties and aspiring candidates focusing on social networking sites to campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls, the Gautam Budh Nagar (GBN) election department is leaving no stone unturned in tracking the campaigns on the internet. District magistrate N.P Singh, on Thursday, said that the returning officer has issued notices to 16 candidates from the three constituencies of Noida, Dadri and Jewar for using the social media for campaigning without seeking the mandatory approval of the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC).The list includes heavy weight candidates from BJP, SP and BSP besides other political party hopefuls. “We have asked all candidates to immediately get their social media content approved or face penal action including registering of an FIR,” said Singh.
As per officials, the list of 16 candidates from GBN include 6 candidates each from Noida and Dadri and 4 from Jewar constituencies. These candidates include BJP’s Pankaj Singh, Dhirendra Singh and Tejpal Nagar, BSP’s Ravikant Mishra, Satveer Gujjar and Ved Ram Bhati and SP’s Sunil Chowdhary and Narendra Nagar besides Sameer Bhati from Congress party.
Speaking to TOI, Singh said that according to the notification circulated to election officials in the district, candidates need to inform about their authentic social media accounts while filing their nomination papers. “Candidates have to ensure that all content including any political advertisements they release to any Internet-based media or social media website are pre-certified by the Election Commission-appointed MCMC at the district level before they are used,” he said.
With the poll panel keeping a watch, candidates have to watch their word and adhere to the model code on the web as well. “Social media and networking sites have become very strong mediums of communication. If candidates are trying to spread hatred, lies or anything with communal overtones, such issues will be handled very strictly and will invite prosecution," Singh said. “We have also mobilized the GBN cyber cell to keep an eye on social media sites including facebook pages, friend lists, whatsapp groups, etc,” he explained. “All such campaigning will also be accounted and expenditure added to candidates’ accounts,” he added.
Meanwhile, Singh also said that with a view to prevent persons from creating nuisance at booths, live video from 143 booths will be directly monitored through web-casting. “We have made special security arrangements at 36 vulnerable booths, which will be video-graphed,” he said. “On poll day, 103 sector magistrates, 78 static magistrates and 21 zonal magistrates will ensure a free and fair election procedure is followed,” he added.