Chandigarh / New Delhi, May 8 (FN Bureau) Haryana Chief Electoral Officer, Anurag Agarwal on Wednesday said that as per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, any kind of political advertisements cannot be published in the print media without the permission of the State and District, Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) on the day of polling or a day prior. The CEO was addressing a review meeting of the department officers regarding the Lok Sabha Election. The Commission has decided that during the final phase of the entire election process, there is no need to engage in protecting or misleading anyone through political advertisements in the print media.
Agarwal said that permission will have to be obtained from the MCMC two days in advance to publish advertisements in print media on the day of voting and one day before voting. He said that under Section 77(1) and 127A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Commission has directed that when publishing any advertisement or Election-related material of any political party or candidate during the election period in the print media, the publisher must display their name and address along with the advertisement. The CEO said that if there is a violation of the provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, orders will be issued against the violator, and their equipment may be seized. He said that all types of advertisements or paid news should be published under the rules of the Press Council of India (PCI), Press and Registration of Books Act, 2020, and the rules of the News Broadcasters Association and Digital Association. The committee will hear appeals against decisions of the state-level MCMC committee. As far as cases of paid news are concerned, complaints received directly by the Commission will be forwarded to the state-level MCMC committee for consideration.