New Delhi: The Election Commission has issued strict guidelines for political parties and candidates for the upcoming assembly elections. All political advertisements will henceforth require prior certification by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC), the commission said.
On March 15, the Election Commission announced the schedule for assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and also announced by-elections in six states. These instructions have been issued to ensure that the election process is transparent and fair.
According to the commission, registered political parties, organisations, candidates or individuals must obtain permission from MCMC before publishing advertisements on electronic media such as television, radio, audio-video displays in public places, e-paper, bulk SMS/voice messages and social media. No political advertisement shall be published on the internet or social media platforms without prior certification.
Candidates can apply to the district-level MCMC for certification of their advertisements, while political parties based in the state or union territory can seek permission from the state-level MCMC. In addition, an Appellate Committee headed by the Chief Electoral Officer has also been constituted to appeal against the decisions of the district or state MCMC.
The Election Commission said that the MCMC will closely monitor suspicious cases related to paid news in the media and take necessary action.
In addition, it will be mandatory for all candidates to provide details of their official social media accounts in the affidavit at the time of nomination, so that the election campaign can be monitored.
As per Section 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the Supreme Court directions, political parties are required to submit a complete statement of expenditure on campaigning through the internet and social media to the Election Commission within 75 days of the end of the election. This will include payments to internet companies, advertising expenses, content production and social media activities.
In this regard, on March 19, the Election Commission held a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officers of all the polling states, State Police Nodal Officers, IT Nodal Officers and representatives of social media platforms. The objective of this meeting was to ensure timely and stringent action against fake news, misinformation and misleading news during the elections.
