New Delhi: In a bid to capitalize on the enthusiasm of youngsters, the Election Commission officials at Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu have introduced a selfie contest. The winner of the best selfie will be awarded a monetary prize.
The EC officials said that a voter will have to visit his/her respective polling booth and take a selfie with the booth in background and post it on social media page of the district administration.
The EC has also pointed selfie points at polling booths. An official said that the motto behind introducing such contest is to attract voters, especially the first-timers. Gift coupons will also be distributed among first time voters.
Tamil Nadu will go to assembly polls in a single phase on May 16. The result will be declared on May 19.
Last year, the Electoral Commission had advised voters against photography inside polling stations so that they can avoid inadvertently breaching laws on the secrecy of ballots.
According to a senior EC official, 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.
In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, an FIR was filed against former Gujarat CM and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi as directed by the EC under Section 126 (1) (a) and 126 (1) (b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for clicking a selfie at a polling booth and sharing it on social media platforms.
