2 months ago
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Ahead of the Assembly polls successful 4 States and 1 Union Territory, the Election Commission (EC) connected Friday (March 20, 2026) directed governmental parties to get their advertisements pre-certified by Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMC) and idiosyncratic candidates to stock details of their authentic societal media accounts astatine the clip of filing nominations.
Assembly polls for Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and bye-elections successful six States are scheduled to beryllium held betwixt April 9 and April 29.
The electoral assemblage has issued orders requiring immoderate registered governmental enactment oregon immoderate group, organisation oregon relation oregon immoderate contesting campaigner oregon idiosyncratic to use to the MCMC for pre-certification of each governmental advertisements connected physics media (such arsenic TV, radio, audio-video displays astatine nationalist places, e-papers, bulk SMS/voice messages) including societal media earlier publication.
“No governmental advertisements are to beryllium released to immoderate internet-based media oregon websites, including societal media websites, by governmental parties oregon candidates without pre-certification from the respective MCMC,” the EC said successful a connection here.
Vigil connected paid news
MCMCs shall besides support a strict vigil connected suspected cases of paid quality successful the media and instrumentality suitable action, it said.
Further, candidates are required to stock the details of their authentic societal media accounts successful their affidavits astatine the clip of filing nomination.
Individuals oregon contesting candidates tin use for certification of advertisements with District MCMC. All registered governmental parties headquartered successful a State/U.T. tin use for certification of specified advertisements with the State-level MCMC. The applications indispensable beryllium submitted wrong the specified timelines.
Expenditure incurred online by parties
The EC has besides asked governmental parties to taxable a connection of expenditure incurred connected campaigning done net including societal media websites to the Commission wrong 75 days of the completion of the Assembly predetermination arsenic per provisions of Section 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the directions of the Supreme Court.
Such expenditure, among different things, shall see payments made to net companies and websites for carrying advertisements and campaign-related expenditure connected improvement of content, and operational expenditure incurred to support their societal media accounts.
In this regard, a gathering was held with the CEOs, State Police nodal officers, State IT nodal officers of each poll-bound States/U.T. and the representatives of societal media platforms connected March 19 to sensitise them astir the supra provisions and to guarantee timely enactment against reported instances of misinformation, disinformation and fake quality during elections, the Commission’s connection said.
