Social networking impact: EC may create model poll code for politicos online

The general elections of 2014 in India will go down in history for being one most influenced by social networking and technology in India. The matter has gone beyond mere speculation and research studies, with the Election Commission (EC) now working on ways to make sure that social media is brought within the purview of the model code of conduct.

According to a report by The Times of India, the EC is contemplating putting in action, ways and means to regulate not just accountability of expenses but even communication through social media for parties when it comes to campaigning. The matter was apparently brought to light when a rights organisation spoke of the social media question to the Chief Election Commissioner of the country, VS Sampath.

Reining in the social media

The question put forth in front of Sampath was regarding instances of likes being brought on Facebook for pages and posts belonging to national parties, campaign messages making its way through WhatsApp forwards as well as multiple websites for candidates. The organisation sought to have some kind of accountability and a larger scrutiny of the expenses being made through campaigning on social networking websites and the Internet in general.

For those not in the know, the EC is the authority for putting a limit on poll expenses as the general elections draw near. The limits can be revised from time to time and this seems to be an ideal opportunity to do so. Never before has the social networking medium been a more potent tool in the hands of politicians. Taking a leaf out of international poll campaigns, Indian politicos too have ramped up their presence on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Of course, this would mean incurring expenditure, especially when it comes to hosting and maintaining their own websites.

It has recently been revealed that social media could swing up to 4 percent urban votes in around 160 constituencies in the upcoming elections. Sampath may need to take a good, hard look at politicians’ online presence and expenditure on online campaigns in the run up to the elections.