AP SEC Nimmagadda's Private Elections Monitoring, Complaint App To Be Launched Today

Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, ahead of the panchayat elections who has secretly created a private app in the name of election monitoring. The app, which has been kept secret till now, will be unveiled at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, state Election Commission office sources said. The app has allegedly been created without taking necessary security clearances from the government.

 Nimmagadda, who is currently touring Srikakulam district, also told the media the same thing. The details of the app  have been kept secret and there is no information about who made the app,where  the control center is, who oversees the operations, the staff involved and how the complaints will be resolved. The secrecy about  such details reinforce suspicions and it is also  noteworthy that Nimmagadda has arranged to launch the app used for the upcoming elections without permission. On the other hand, Nimmagadda has already made  arrangements to send the selected data to the district collectors after he first sees the information provided in the app.

In general due permissions must be obtained in accordance with the regulations for the use of apps and other software, either in government or in government systems. One should check if the data security arrangements  are in place that prevent the information (data) entered in the app from being accessed and hacked by anyone other than designated individuals.

Permits need to be granted after scrutiny by experts from the Andhra Pradesh Technology Services Limited(APTS) . Permission must be obtained from time to time to connect with the Government Data Center (all types of Government Apps, Website Storage Center) without the possibility of outside people changing (morphing, editing) the information entered in the app. However, the SEC is ready to bring the app without taking any data security permissions. Political observers say this strengthens suspicions that the election process is being marred by malice by the SEC.

Although there is an app already prepared by the Panchayati Raj department for the elections, it is believed that the motive behind the decision to use an unlicensed private app to monitor the elections is to benefit the TDP. There are suspicions within the Commissioner's office that arrangements have been made to monitor the app by some  important TDP people sitting in Hyderabad. Concerns are being expressed in the villages that there is a danger of disturbing the peace by such politics in the non-party panchayat elections.