ECI makes pre-certification mandatory for political ads on electronic and social media

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made it mandatory for all political parties and candidates to get their advertisements on electronic and social media pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) before publication.

The directive comes ahead of the General Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar and bye-elections to eight Assembly constituencies across six states and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, the schedule for which was announced on October 6.

According to an official statement issued by the Commission on October 14, every registered, national and state political party, as well as every contesting candidate, must apply to the MCMC for pre-certification of political advertisements before they are released. The MCMCs have been set up at both district and state levels to scrutinise and approve political advertisements in line with the prescribed guidelines.

The Commission has clearly stated that no political advertisements can be released on any internet-based or social media platforms without prior approval from the respective MCMC. The committees will also monitor suspected cases of paid news in media outlets and take appropriate action where necessary.

Acknowledging the growing influence of social media in elections, the ECI has instructed all contesting candidates to provide details of their authentic social media accounts at the time of filing nominations. This move aims to curb misinformation and ensure transparency in digital campaigning.

 In addition, political parties are required to submit a statement of expenditure incurred on internet and social media campaigning within 75 days of the completion of assembly elections. This requirement is in accordance with Section 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and directions issued by the Supreme Court of India.

The expenditure details should include payments made to internet companies and websites for advertising, as well as costs related to campaign content creation and the operation of social media accounts