EC launches voter-friendly apps

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 25

Chief Election Commissioner of India AK Joti today launched apps, including Himachal election atlas and public grievance redressal mechanism, to facilitate voters to ensure free and fair elections in the state, the date for which is about to be announced soon.

The state electoral officer and nodal officers informed the ECI that the Election Department had prepared a set of new IT software applications to be used in the coming elections. Joti said the Himachal electoral atlas was an app that gave the details of important geographic locations, including the location and details of polling stations, routes and other important features of the area. The Himachal elections management system was another app to be used for the election management in the state. It would establish coordination from Chief Electoral Officer to returning officers and polling stations. Alerts could be sounded at any level and would be responded within no time, he said. He said the poll duties of police personnel would be randomised through the software on the pattern as was being done for other polling staff. “The mobile number update app will be used to update mobile numbers of households. The link for this app is available on the website hptt://ceohimachal.nic.in,” he added

He said the automated reply and missed call facility would be available on 0177-2620551. If a voter or any individual needs any information regarding election, he or she can get it by giving a missed call on this number. The call will be responded within 30 minutes. He said the GIF App would provide information on functioning of voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) that was being used in all polling stations of 68 constituencies. Chief Electoral Officer Pushpender Rajpoot gave details of various apps launched in the state.