Pune: City-based Political Research and Analysis Bureau (PRAB) has objected to the recent order issued by the State Election Commission regarding mandatory use of mobile app for candidates. Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation polls will be held on December 9. The results will be declared on December 10.
Chandrakant Bhujbal, Director of PRAB, which is involved in spreading awareness among voters, said this app was launched in 2013 and was used during Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation elections. He said at that time this mobile app, True Voter was not mandatory.
According to PRAB, the Election Commission (EC) has asked candidates contesting elections for Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation to submit their daily election expenditure through True Voter. PRAB claimed developers of this mobile app are creating undue fear in the minds of candidates by declaring that those candidates failing to feed their election expenditure details through this app will be barred from contesting elections for six years.
An Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation official said that only two to three candidates have submitted their daily expenditure through this app and remaining 350 candidates are submitting it in a traditional manner. The officer, on condition of anonymity, claimed several candidates have filed complaints regarding this app. In a press release, PRAB said that according to the directive issued by the EleC, candidates failing to upload their election expenditure through this app will be barred for six years from contesting elections.
Advocate Prasanna Joshi demanded that candidates be allowed to provide their expenditure in traditional manner as many of them do not have mobile phones. Joshi claimed Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949 does not mention providing daily expenditure. Such rule came into effect after State Election Commissioner issued an order on February 10, 1995. He claimed, this order did not mention the app.
