Pledge secured from social media platforms on curbing posts that affect poll process: CEC
Indore, Nov 13: Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat Tuesday said a pledge has been secured from social media platforms stating they would curb the flow of posts which adversely affect the election process in the country.
Interacting with reporters here, he said the poll watchdog had made several attempts to curb the misuse of social media during elections.
"We have separately held talks with the national and regional heads of all important social media platforms and secured a pledge from them that they will stop the flow of all such posts that are likely to adversely affect the election process," he said.
Rawat said the expenditure on poll advertisements on social media will be added to the expenses of the candidates. Information would also be collected from the social media officials about the sponsors of such election advertisements.
In response to a question, Rawat said the EC has a strong mechanism in place to review the manifestos of political parties.
"We have made a firm commitment to review the electoral manifesto of all parties according to the Supreme Court's guidelines," he said.
Prior to his interaction with the media, Rawat held a meeting of top officials of police and administration of Indore, Ujjain and Narmadapuram divisions in the state and reviewed the preparations for the election.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer V L Kantha Rao was also present in the meeting along with several senior officials of the ECI.
Rawat expressed confidence that the EC would be successful in conducting free and fair assembly elections across the state on November 28.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
