CHENNAI: Voters in the Thousand Lights Assembly constituency have reported receiving unknown mobile calls seeking to know their voting preferences, prompting the Election Commission of India (ECI) to caution the public and advise them to lodge complaints if such calls are found to be illegal.
Several residents said they began receiving calls from Friday morning, where automated voices asked them to press numbers corresponding to political parties or candidates.
"I received a call from an unknown number while at work. It asked me to choose between candidates by pressing numbers. The automated call asked me to press 1 for AIADMK, 2 for DMK, 3 for TVK, 4 for Naam Tamilar, and 5 for others. It did not seem legitimate," said N Anitha, a resident of Choolaimedu.
Consumer activists have raised concerns over such calls.
T Sadagopan of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre said these could be telemarketing-style calls with potential cyber risks.
"These calls should be examined by the Election Commission. There is also a possibility of misuse leading to cybercrime," he said.
Responding to the issue, ECI officials said that while opinion polls are not banned, any such activity must follow proper guidelines and permissions.
"We need to verify whether political parties have obtained permission for such mobile-based surveys. If the calls are unauthorised or misleading, people should immediately lodge complaints," an official said.
The ECI has urged voters to report such incidents through its helpline numbers 1950 and 1800 425 1950. Officials said necessary action would be taken based on verified complaints.
The poll body also advised citizens to remain cautious while responding to unknown calls, especially during the election period.