Election Commission

new voters

FB post

smartphone

mobile phones

Lok Sabha election

foresees a distinct possibility of 3.5 lakhin Bangalore going click-happy with their smartphones when pressing the button on poll day. It is warning of action even later if it comes across any suchSelf portraits of the digital age might be the in thing with anyone armed with a. For many of the 3.5 lakh first-time voters in the city, it might be the most obvious thing to do come April 17, polling day. But click at your peril.Aware of the fact that many voters will want to keep a picture of their debut in the “democratic process” for posterity taken while standing in front of voting machines, the EC has warned against such pranks.“The use ofinside polling booths has been banned by the election commission,” Anil Kumar Jha, Chief Electoral Officer (Karnataka), told Bangalore Mirror. “Even if voters carry mobile phones, they have to hand them over to the returning officer or polling officers at the booth.”A senior election official went even further saying selfies clicked in polling booths and posted on social networking sites is a violation of the Representation of the People Act. The Act stipulates imprisonment up to three months.“However, voters are free to take selfies outside the polling booth or display their inked finger to the media after stepping out of the booth,” the official said. “But any attempt inside the polling station will not be tolerated.”The warning stems from the fact that thishas garnered unprecedented coverage on social media sites. “Candidates and their supporters have been taking selfies during campaigning and posting them on Facebook and Twitter,” a social media tracker (who did not want to be named because of political affiliation) told BM. “As the Likes and re-tweets increased rapidly, more and more started joining the selfie bandwagon. So much so that the voting-day (April 17) is being seen as the climax for voting selfies.”Officials say the EC had issued a circular banning use of mobile phones inside polling booths. The move came after candidates and political parties had said people could take pictures and influence others by revealing their allegiance to a candidate or a political party. “We want polls to free and fair,” an EC official said.First-time voters are disappointed with the EC dampener. Jeromi George, a BA student from Christ University, said, “I had told my friends that I was going to click a selfie. I am excited to be a first-time voter. However, the incident in Kerala where a television anchor ran into trouble following a selfie near the ballot box has taken away the fizz.”Varunkia Deva, a student, questioned the logic of the ban. “When people have no issues posting drunk selfie pictures on the internet, why not the voting selfie? We want to spread the message of voting.”Uday Minocha, another debutant voter, wondered, “Selfies are completely in and when celebrities at the Oscars are taking them, why can’t we when we are choosing our future?”A television anchor had courted controversy with her alleged selfie during the recently concluded polls in Kerala. She posted a picture of herself purportedly taken when casting her vote in Lok Sabha polls on April 10.It not only triggered a storm about selfies, but polling officials were also castigated for their carelessness for marking the actor’s middle finger instead of the left index finger with indelible ink.NOT JUST IN INDIAVoter selfies have been creating problems in the election process in countries across the world. Late last year, the ‘Commission of Elections’ in the Philippines laid out dos and don'ts about selfies. Voters were reminded that taking pictures of completed ballots was illegal, but it was legal to stand in front of the Board of Election inspectors and take selfies. Earlier this month, Bernard Drainville, the Canadian politician from Quebec, found himself in hot water after he posed with students in voting booths for selfies. These selfies were shared by his supporters and the election watchdog is investigating if it broke the law. Campaigning at voting stations is prohibited. US President Barack Obama found himself in trouble over selfies. Obama had a selfie taken with baseball player David Ortiz. It turned out that Ortiz was doing it on behalf of Samsung which used the photo to promote its mobile phone. The White House administration is now contemplating banning selfies with the president.