India’s poll panel seeks responses to complaints against Modi, Gandhi

NEW DELHI (Reuters): India’s Election Commission said on Thursday it sought responses from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress on alleged violations of poll rules by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. India is holding the world’s largest election over seven phases, with votes due to be counted on June 4.

In their complaints to the commission, the BJP accused Gandhi and Congress accused Modi of making divisive speeches on religion, caste and linguistic issues, notices from the panel said. Modi, who is seeking a rare third consecutive term, referred to Muslims as “infiltrators” and “those who have more children” during a campaign speech on Sunday, drawing widespread criticism from opposition groups and a complaint from Congress to the poll panel.

The BJP has said in its complaint that Gandhi sought to create divisions based on linguistic and cultural issues. The election panel has sought responses from BJP president JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge by April 29. As nearly a billion voters head to the polls, officials like Indian Forest Service official Surya Sen counter rapidly spreading online misinformation from election cells that also monitor television and public camera images.

“Social media is the primary ground for misinformation,” said Sen, whose team monitors social media from an office in India’s Silicon Valley city of Bengaluru. Sen works with an external agency, where 30 people use keyword-tracking software and monitor high-profile influencers around the clock. His operation is one of hundreds nationwide coordinating with India’s election commission.

At the same time, Sen’s in-house team of 40 sifts online posts by political parties to detect everything from hate speech to fake news that violates polling rules. Just last week, two AI-generated deepfake videos of Bollywood stars criticising Modi and asking people to vote for the opposition Congress went viral, drawing half a million views.