In the run-up to the Jharkhand Assembly elections, a complaint has been filed against the BJP’s Jharkhand unit for allegedly posting misleading and defamatory videos targeting opposition leaders on social media handles.
The FIR was lodged on Sunday at the cybercrime police station in Ranchi, following a complaint by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The Congress has accused the BJP of attempting to unduly influence voters through false content on its official Jharkhand social media handles.
According to the FIR, the BJP’s posts contain baseless allegations designed to dissuade voters from supporting opposition candidates in the two-phase assembly elections, scheduled for November 13 and November 20.
One of the videos appears to take a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav by featuring three characters resembling them and calling them anti-tribal.
The Congress claims the video not only misrepresents the leaders but also contains elements intended to mislead and manipulate the voting intentions of the public, violating the model code of conduct (MCC) and relevant legal provisions.
The cybercrime police station has written to the social media platform, requesting the removal of the objectionable videos under Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act.
In his complaint, Ramesh urged the Election Commission to issue a directive for the immediate takedown of all versions of the video across social media and to initiate urgent action against the BJP’s official Jharkhand social media handles.
He highlighted concerns that the advertisement, which caricatures prominent opposition figures, has the potential to unfairly influence voters.
