Election Commission directs Facebook to remove Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s photo shared by BJP MLA 

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

New Delhi: The Election Commission, on Tuesday, asked Facebook to remove two political posters with Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s photograph shared by BJP leader and Delhi MLA Om Prakash Sharma. It was probably the first instance of action against a violation of the model code of conduct on social media. The model code of conduct kicked in with the Election Commission’s announcement of the dates for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

A Facebook spokesperson, while commenting on the commission’s request, said, “We are committed to working with the Election Commission to prevent abuse on the platform.”

The move comes days after the poll panel asked all recognized political parties to stop making references to the armed forces in their political campaigns.

Although MCC provisions have been applicable to social media since 2013, the commission was not able to act against violations on such platforms as there was no mechanism in place for the EC to reach out to social media sites but, this time all social media giants have agreed to cooperate with the EC to “uphold the integrity and legality of the political campaigns conducted” on their platforms.

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