Election Commission issues guidelines to advertisers and media ahead of Lok Sabha polls

Delhi: The Election Commission has unveiled the guidelines for Media Coverage during the Lok Sabha elections period, referred to as the Section 126(1Xb) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 that prohibits displaying any election matter by means, inter alia, of television, cinematograph or similar apparatus, in any polling area during the period of forty-eight hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of the poll for any election in the polling area. 

Consolidated guidelines are as follows:

Advertising guidelines:

1. No person shall display to the public any election matter by means of cinematograph, television or other similar apparatus in any polling area during the period of forty-eight hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of the poll for any election in the polling area. 
2. "Election matter” has been defined as any matter intended or calculated to influence or affect the result of an election.
3. Political advertisements on any election matter in TV, cable networks, radio, Cinema Halls, use of bulk SMS/voice messages, audio visual displays in any polling area during the period of forty-eight hours is also prohibited. (These restrictions are not applicable in a case of multi-phased elections i.e. when the elections are held on different dates, if content of election matters related to subsequent phase(s) and in no way, have any reference to the polling area, under silence period.)
4. No Political Party or Candidate or any other organisation or person shall publish any Advertisement in the print media on poll day and one day prior to poll day, unless the contents of political advertisements are pre-certified by them from the MCMC Committee at the State/District level. The applicants shall have to apply to MCMC not later than two  days prior to the proposed date of publication of such advertisements.
5. Political advertisement on electronic media needs pre-certification by the Committees set up at State/District level as per the Commission's order. 
6. There should be explicit restrictions on advertisements predicting the victory of a particular party and any form of speculative content related to election outcomes shall be avoided.

Media guidelines:

1.  TV/Radio/Cable/FM channels/internet websites/Social Media platforms are free to approach the state/ district/ local authorities for necessary permission for conducting any broadcast/Telecast related events (other than exit polls) which must also conform to the provisions of the model code of conduct.
2. TV/Radio channels and cable networks should ensure that the contents of the programmes telecast by them during the period of 48 hours do not contain any election matter. This shall, among other things, include display of any opinion poll and of standard debates, analysis, visuals and sound-bytes.
3. Political advertisements especially sky bus advertisements masquerading as news headlines to mislead readers shall not be published in newspapers.
4. An editor shall be responsible for all rnatters, including advertisements published in the newspaper. If responsibility is disclairned, this shall be explicitly stated beforehand.