Why ECI has directed IT Ministry to immediately halt 'Viksit Bharat' messages on WhatsApp

The Election Commission of India said it had received several complaints that such messages are still being delivered on phones despite the announcement of the dates of Lok Sabha polls 2024 and the MCC coming into force People walk past the Election Commission of India premises, in New Delhi. File image/PTI The Election Commission of India Thursday directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to halt the Centre’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ messages over WhatsApp. In the letter, the ECI said it has “received complaints from various quarters that such messages are still being delivered on citizens’ phones” despite the announcement of Lok Sabha elections 2024 dates and the MCC coming into force. Over the past days, several people received WhatsApp messages from ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark’ that contained a PDF that has a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Opposition called PM Modi’s ‘Viksit Bharat Sampark letter’ a “blatant violation” of MCC and even called it a “political propaganda.” The letter by the ECI came a day after the chief electoral officer of Chandigarh referred to the commission a digital complaint alleging that a Central government department “violated” MCC by sending out bulk WhatsApp messages labelled “Viksit Bharat Sampark” after the Lok Sabha elections were announced.