WeApp controversy: YSRCP accuses TDP of illegally collecting voters’ data, bribery, intimidation

Amaravati: The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Friday filed a complaint with the director general of police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta accusing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders of illegally collecting data of voters and bribing them through WeApp, an application for collecting and containing database of voters in Andhra Pradesh.

Before the 2019 Assembly elections too, a data theft case was registered against the TDP. In their complaint, the YSRCP leaders said that the WeApp has facilitated an illegal gathering of voters’ data, bribing and intimidation of voters affiliated with other political parties, actions which threaten the integrity of the 2024 General Elections in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the directives issued by the ECI, no political party must enrol voters under the guise of surveys for post-election beneficiary schemes, citing such practices as potential bribery and corrupt practice under Section 123(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

“Despite these guidelines, the TDP, under the directions of party president N Chandrababu Naidu, party AP unit president K Atchannaidu and general secretary Nara Lokesh have blatantly disregarded these orders,” the ruling YSRCP said.

Application tailormade for each constituency

The YSRCP leaders mentioned that the application has been customised for individual Assembly constituencies.

For instance, the Ongole Assembly constituency has ‘WeApp Ongole’.

It has been distributed specifically to TDP booth-level convenors and party functionaries rather than being made available on conventional platforms like Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Access to the app is controlled through registrations at TDP’s district or state offices and the application package (APK) is shared through specific channels, with one such channel being identified as an email ID found on the app - sagar99babi@gmail.com.

According to the complaint filed by the YSRCP, the application’s features are as follows:

Data collection and profiling

WeApp is designed to aggregate and manage detailed voter information that includes names, familial connections (such as father or husband’s names), ages, genders, contact details (phone numbers and addresses), caste data, local residency status, political affiliations, occupations, voter ID numbers, and booth numbers. This comprehensive data collection is segmented by Assembly constituency and booth, facilitating targeted political campaigning and voter manipulation.

“This practice not only violated legal norms but also infringes upon voter privacy, as it involved the unauthorised gathering and use of personal data, which is expressly prohibited by the Election Commission of India,” the YSRCP said.

Voter slip generation and distribution

The application includes a functionality that allows users to generate voter slips and attach barcoded pamphlets that carry the name of the contesting candidate and the symbol for voting. These voter slips are then distributed to the electorate. The barcode on each pamphlet is unique, allowing the party to track the distribution and response rate among voters.

This feature is utilised alongside direct voter inducements, where party workers distribute these slips and subsequently offer monetary bribes or other incentives to secure votes for the TDP.

“This dual strategy of information dissemination and direct inducement is a clear violation of electoral laws that prohibit bribery and undue influence in elections,” the complaint said.

'Direct financial inducements through WeApp'

The YSRCP said, in an egregious breach of ethical campaigning, it has been observed that candidates from the TDP have engaged in direct financial transactions with voters.

Using the contact information procured through WeApp, money was transferred directly to voters’ UPI accounts as a form of inducement to secure their votes. This direct transfer of funds to the personal accounts of voters not only constitutes a form of bribery but also represents a sophisticated method of influencing voter behaviour through financial means.

These features of WeApp demonstrate a sophisticated and systematic approach to undermining the electoral process through digital means. The application’s capabilities in data management, voter manipulation, and financial inducement highlight significant breaches of electoral conduct as stipulated by the ECI.

The YSRCP leaders also alleged that leaders of the TDP have stolen the data from gullible voters which is punishable under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and have the stolen data and have been utilising it for perpetrating further illegal activities. “These activities not only contravene the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and Section 171(B) of the IPC but also severely undermine the principles of fair electoral practice and voter confidentiality,” the complaint said.

“There is a clear criminal conspiracy by the TDP leaders to steal the personal data of the voters by unauthorised access to the computer networks and to download the copies of the data dishonestly and the same is punishable under Section 66B of the Information Technology Act 2000,” it added.

‘Voters being threatened’

YSRCP also brought to the notice of the ECI that, utilising the data, the voters who are supporting the YSRCP are being threatened with injury into voting for the candidates fielded by the alliance solely to interfere with the electoral rights of the candidates as defined under Section 171(C)(2) and punishable under Section 171F of the Indian Penal Code.

The TDP booth-level leaders have secured access to the personal information of the voters which is being secured without the consent of the people/voters and is being disclosed to the other party members and the same is punishable under Section 72 of the Information Technology Act, it was alleged by the YSRCP.

“The senior leaders of the TDP have dishonestly received the stolen data knowing fully well that the said data is stolen and the same is punishable under Section 66B of the Information Technology Act, 2000.”

‘Impersonating the ECI’

The complaint also said that unidentified persons from the TDP were posing as members of the ECI to secure the personal data and preferences of the individuals.

“By virtue of the applications, the TDP has created a system of digital records which is not easily traceable and not capable of being surveilled by the justice administration. This is solely to commit electoral offences and to escape from the clutches of law,” the complaint to the DGP said.