Twitter saw over 30 lakh tweets related to Karnataka polls
New Delhi, May 16: The micro-blogging platform registered over 30 lakh tweets related to Karnataka assembly polls in the past three weeks, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) garnering 51 per cent of the share of voice, Twitter announced on Wednesday.
Congress registered 42 per cent and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) seven per cent of mentions on Twitter in the April 25-May 15 period.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged as the most mentioned personality on Twitter, while former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was the most mentioned candidate on Twitter, the company said in a statement.
"Over the past few weeks, our data shows more than three million Tweets related to the Karnataka elections, making it one of the most talked-about state elections on Twitter," said Mahima Kaul, Head of Public Policy and Government, Twitter India.
#KarnatakaVerdict emerged as the most talked about election-related topic in the past 24 hours since Tuesday.
The most used hashtag across the election was #KarnatakaElections2018.
"Twitter is where political conversations happen and where you can see all sides of a conversation when it comes to elections," Kaul added.
To make people aware about the importance of elections prior to Karnataka polls, Twitter had released an elections voting emoji and organised a special event called #ElectionsOnTwitter in partnership with civil society organisations and media partners.
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Modi govt's 'calibrated erosion' of EC's integrity: Kharge on election rule
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday hit out at the government for tweaking an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents, alleging it is part of the Modi government's "systematic conspiracy" to destroy the institutional integrity of the Election Commission.
Kharge also said the Modi government's "calibrated erosion" of the ECI's integrity is a frontal attack on the Constitution and democracy.
The government has tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse.
Based on the recommendation of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Union law ministry on Friday amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of "papers" or documents open to public inspection.
Reacting to the development, Kharge said, "Modi government's audacious amendment in the Conduct of Election Rules is another assault in its systematic conspiracy to destroy the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India." "Earlier, they had removed the Chief Justice of India from the Selection panel which appoints Election Commissioners, and now they have resorted to stonewall electoral information, even after a High Court order," he said in a post on X.
Everytime the Congress party wrote to the ECI, regarding specific poll irregularities such as voter deletions and lack of transparency in EVMs, the ECI has responded in a condescending tone and chosen not to even acknowledge certain serious complaints, Kharge said.
"This again proves that the ECI, even though it is a quasi-judicial body, is not behaving independently," he said.
"The Modi government's calibrated erosion of ECI's integrity is a frontal attack on the Constitution and Democracy and we will take every step to safeguard them," Kharge said.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh had said the party would legally challenge the amendment.
Lok Sabha MP and Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said the poll panel had chosen opacity and a pro-government attitude in its dealings thus far.
According to Rule 93, all "papers" related to elections shall be open to public inspection.
The amendment inserts "as specified in these rules" after "papers".
Law ministry and ECI officials separately explained that a court case was the "trigger" behind the amendment.
While documents such as nomination forms, appointment of election agents, results and election account statements are mentioned in the Conduct of Election Rules, electronic documents such as CCTV camera footage, webcasting footage and video recording of candidates during the Model Code of Conduct period are not covered.
"CCTV coverage, webcasting of polling stations are not carried out under Conduct of Election Rules but are the result of steps taken by the ECI to ensure a level playing field," a former ECI official explained.
