Social media platform X has taken down several posts containing political speech from elected politicians, political parties, and candidates for office, following directives from the Election Commission of India. The takedown orders, issued on Tuesday, mandate the withholding of the posts for the duration of the ongoing election period.
Despite the orders, X, owned by Elon Musk, expressed disagreement, asserting that “freedom of expression should extend to these posts and political speech in general.” The platform has notified affected users and published the takedown orders for transparency purposes, while also urging the Election Commission to disclose all future directives.
The Election Commission’s orders targeted four social media posts, including those by the YSR Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary. The Commission cited violations of the model code of conduct (MCC) established for the ongoing Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
The takedown orders align with the commitments outlined in the “Voluntary Code of Ethics,” requiring participant platforms to promptly address valid legal requests from the Election Commission and implement measures to prevent platform misuse. Failure to comply would constitute a violation of the code, to which X is a signatory.
India, with nearly a billion eligible voters, embarks on the world’s largest electoral exercise, spanning 44 days until results are announced on June 4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third consecutive term, facing a diverse opposition alliance in the electoral contest.
