SMS Services Get Political in India

SMS is becoming a major attribute of the Indian political process.

According to the Hindustan Times, SMS will soon be counted on to help voters in India determine if their names are on the voter’s registration list.

The chief electoral officer (CEO) of Delhi will launch an SMS service on July 1. The voter will have to send his/her 10-digit voter ID card number to the soon-to-be-launched helpline number to know the details.

“Every electors’ voter identification card should be a 10-digit number,” a senior official is quoted in the publication. “But 2.5 lakh voters in Delhi had either four or five digits in their voter ID number. We have managed to remove this discrepancy. Now, every voter will be able to message their voter identification number to a mobile number provided by us. Through this service, voters will be able to check their name in the voters’ list, polling booth address and other such details.”

So far, efforts to modernize the voting rolls and update the voter registration process are helping to make the democratic process more efficient and responsible.

“We have identified a number of voters who have turned out to be bogus, dead or those who have shifted their residence,” the official said. “This was a major exercise. Those who have moved to another locality will be registered at their latest address.”