ECI orders political parties to pre-certify advertisements before publication: what it means

The Election Commission of India (EC) on Monday announced new guidelines aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the upcoming elections.

Political parties are now required to have all their advertisements pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) before publishing them on electronic and social media platforms.

The ECI has announced the schedule for general elections to the Bihar Legislative Assembly and by-elections to 8 Assembly constituencies of six states and UT of Jammu and Kashmir on October 6.

According to the new guidelines, every registered national political party and election candidate must apply to the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) for pre-certification of all political advertisements before airing any advertisement on television, radio or digital platforms, including social media.

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The ECI said MCMCs have been set up at the district and state level for approval of political advertisements as per prescribed guidelines. He also mentioned that no political party/candidate will run any advertisement on websites or social media channels without the approval of the MCMC.

The MCMC will maintain strict vigil on suspected cases of paid reporting in the media and take appropriate action, it said. It also asked candidates to disclose details of their social media accounts.

“Given the penetration of social media in the electoral landscape, candidates have also been asked to share details of their authentic social media accounts at the time of filing their nomination papers. »

Pursuant to Section 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and as directed by the Supreme Court, political parties must also submit a statement of campaign expenses, including costs of social media and online advertisements, within 75 days of the end of the election.

The expenditure report should include payments to internet companies, websites for running advertisements, as well as campaign-related expenses for content development and operational expenses incurred to maintain their social media accounts, the ECI said.