General Elections in India 2024

The Election Commission has taken various steps to conduct free and fair elections for the 18th Lok Sabha. To act against any violence and to maintain law and order, the Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements:

• Adequate deployment central armed police forces (CAPF).
• For the first time, 24×7 integrated control rooms will be established in every district, which will monitor the feeds from television, social media, and webcasts from the sensitive booths. There will be continuous monitoring of helpline number 1950 and the grievances portal.
• To enhance security during the elections, a network of checkposts will be set up at the inter-state borders and at the identified nodes to check the movement of illegal goods across the states.
• Heightened vigilance at international borders will be set up with drone-based monitoring at sensitive locations.
• While giving directions to district and state administrations, the EC stated that accountability for free and fair elections lies with the DM/DCs, who are also given strict orders to transfer officials who have served more than three years at one station.
• No volunteers or contractual staff would be deployed for election duties.
  Given cases of impersonation during the voting, the EC has declared that the impersonators will face legal action under Sec-61 of the RP Act 1951.
• The electors on the election duty will cast their ballots at Facilitation Centres.

To crackdown on the use of money power, the EC has given the following directions to the enforcement agencies:

• To plug the inflow and distribution of cash, liquor, freebies, and drugs and take strict action against the violators and route chart.
• Disrupt illicit distribution of sensitive goods and freebies and keep a strict vigil over illicit online cash transfers.
• Suspicious transactions are to be monitored by banks, and cash movement is to be restricted in the bank vehicles after sunset.
• The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has been asked to issue detailed instructions for the surveillance and inspection of non-scheduled charter flights.

Furthermore, steps to curb the flow of misinformation include:

• Political parties have been advised to ensure responsible social media behaviour.
• The originators of fake news will be strictly dealt with as per the extant laws.
• The nodal officers in the states are authorized to remove the unlawful content under Sec-79 (3) (B) of the IT Act.
• EC will soon launch on its website, https://www.eci.gov.in/, a proactive communication on fakes – Myth vs. Reality, to educate the voters.

• The political parties have been out on notice and have been asked to give copies of the guidelines to their star campaigners. The political parties will be responsible for the maintenance of decorum by their star campaigners.
• The parties are advised to foster political discourse based on harmony rather than division.
• The parties must not resort to hate speeches, make caste or religious appeals, or criticize any aspects of private life.
• They must refrain from unverified or misleading advertisements or masquerading of advertisements as news. The advisory is also issued to print media editors in this regard.
• The political parties are advised against social media posts vilifying/insulting rivals during campaigns.
• To streamline the activities of the political parties, around 527 registered unrecognized political parties (RUPPs) have been taken out of the political space, of which 284 are delisted and 253 are inactive.
• The digitized annual financial and contribution reports of the political parties will be made available at the IEMS (Integrated Election Expenditure Monitoring System) portal.
• EC has instructed the political parties to be respectful towards persons with disabilities (PwDs) and prohibited the use of children during the campaigns.
• The political parties are also advised to be transparent in their organizational functions.

• Oversee that DEOs ensure a level playing field when disposing of their duties.
• Ensure that the elections are coercion and intimidation-free.
• Oversee the entire election machinery and the deployment of the security forces in the state and its randomization.