Maharashtra election: QR codes introduced in Thane to help voters with polling booths
Thane (PTI): In an attempt to boost voter turnout in Thane district, a one-click facility has been introduced for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections wherein voters only have to scan QR codes to find out about polling stations.
Talking to reporters, Thane collector and election officer Ashok Shingare said the initiative aims to enhance voter convenience and participation, particularly as the Election Commission raised concerns regarding low voter turnout in the Thane and Kalyan regions.
He said the district administration has implemented several measures to engage voters and improve the overall turnout, including introducing a QR code system, which will guide voters across 18 assembly constituencies.
The official said the QR codes will direct voters to their designated polling booths, providing them with critical information such as the exact location and address.
Shingare reported that as of Monday morning, of the total 7.2 million voters in Thane district, 3.27 million (nearly 50 per cent) had already accessed the QR codes on the election department's website and at some public places where they are displayed.
In addition, the district's election department has reported over 156 million impressions on its social media platforms, he said.
The official said the Navi Mumbai police, under the guidance of Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe, has also introduced a dedicated QR code for residents in their jurisdiction.
This innovative tool provides voters with details of the polling booths and parking information and real-time updates on crowd density at polling stations to minimise waiting time and enhance the voting experience, Shingare said.
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Users flee Elon Musk's X for rival Bluesky amid rising concerns over hate speech, misinformation
Seattle: In a significant shift in the social media landscape, hundreds of thousands of users have reportedly left Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) in the past week, with over a million new users joining the rival platform Bluesky. The mass migration follows the results of the recent U.S. elections, with many citing increasing concerns over hate speech, misinformation, and the growing influence of Musk’s political affiliations on the platform.
Users have been gradually leaving the microblogging platform for several months, but this exodus appears to have accelerated in the wake of Musk’s ownership and his public support for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Critics argue that under Musk's leadership, X has evolved from a platform for open discourse to one that amplifies far-right views, raising concerns over free speech and the proliferation of harmful content.
With Musk now heading the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration, his previous claims about maintaining platform neutrality seem increasingly outdated. In 2022, Musk stated, “For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally.” However, his actions and political ties in recent months have raised doubts about his commitment to this principle.
Bluesky, which began as an internal project led by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has emerged as a popular social media alternative, amassing 16 million users in a short time. Last week alone, the platform gained a million new users within 24 hours. While Bluesky’s user base still pales in comparison to X’s approximately 317 million active users, its appeal lies in its open and decentralised structure, which allows users greater control over the content they see and share.
