Political parties briefed on newspaper ad curbs 48 hours prior to polling

The political party/candidate will be required to apply for the same in advance with the MCMC at the Surajpur collectorate in Greater Noida

The Gautam Budh Nagar administration, on the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), on Monday directed political parties to not advertise in the print media on election day or its eve, without prior certification from the media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC).

The advertisements on election day or its eve will have to be pre-certified by a district level committee. (HT Photo)

The advertisements on the said days will have to be pre-certified by the district level committee. The district will go to polls on April 26.

Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate and chief electoral officer Manish Kumar Verma said, “No political party or candidate or any other organisation or person shall publish any advertisement in the print media on poll day and a day prior to poll day unless pre-certified by the MCMC.”

“The political party/candidate will be required to apply for the same in advance with the MCMC at the Surajpur collectorate in Greater Noida,” he said.

Outlining the curbs during the “silent period”, which begins 48 hours before the voting day, the DM said no active campaigning by candidates or political parties is allowed, nor any media allowed to carry any election related matter.

As per the Election Commission of India, under Section 126, 126A and 135C of the Representation of People Act, 1951, all poll-related activities, which are intended or likely to influence or affect the results of an election, like holding public gatherings, giving speeches, among other activities, are prohibited during this period.

Following ECI directions, the district administration had also appealed to media outlets to take approval from the candidates concerned before publishing any advertisement.

Legal action will be taken against the publisher if the advertisement was published without the candidate’s knowledge, officials said