Twitter asked to take down post on Meghalaya Deputy CM

Prestone Tynsong is heard in the uploaded video appealing to the people to vote for the NPP as the support for the party is like a mass movement

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked Twitter Inc. to take down a video posted on a Shillong-based daily’s handle as the content was violative of the provisions of the Representation of the People Act of 1951.

In the video uploaded around 11 a.m. on February 27, the day of voting across 59 constituencies in the State, Meghalaya’s Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong is heard appealing to the people to vote in favour of the National People’s Party (NPP).

“I am very confident that the people of the State will vote in favour of the NPP because I have travelled a lot in the constituencies and I have seen that the response of the people is just like a mass movement,” he is heard saying.

Mr Tynsong, the vice-president of the NPP seeking to retain the Pynursla constituency, is then heard saying: “I request all the voters to vote in favour of the NPP.”

In the letter to Twitter based on a complaint, the ECI underlined Section 126(1)(b) of the RPA Act that the tweet violated. The section deals with the “prohibition of display of any election matter by means of cinematograph, television or other similar apparatus during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of poll for any election in that polling area”.

The polling on Monday in Meghalaya and Nagaland was from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The ECI sought the tweet to be taken down within 3 hours.