NaMo TV can only carry pre-certified political content, says Election Commission

The Election Commission on Thursday directed NaMo TV to not air any content that has not been pre-certified by the panel mandated to certify or authorise political ads.

The Election Commission on Thursday directed NaMo TV to not air any content that has not been pre-certified by the panel mandated to certify or authorise political ads.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi(REUTERS FILE PHOTO)

The Election Commission’s order comes following a complaint by the Congress regarding the channel.

In its order, the EC said that it had been confirmed that there was no pre-certification of the content being displayed on NaMo TV by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC).

It said that since the NaMo TV is a platform service offered by DTH operators offered to the BJP on a paid basis, “all recorded programmes of poltiical contents displayed on the channel/platform would be covered under the purview of the Commission’s order” issued on April 13, 2004.

The order further states that all political advertisements and “all recorded programmes with political contents are mandatorily required to be pre-certified by the MCMC before telecasting/displaying”.

“Any political publicity materials/content, being displayed on electronic media without the requisite certification from competent authority (MCMC in this case) should be removed immediately and any political content shall only be permitted strictly in accordance with the ECI instructions in this regard,” the order states.

A new channel, NaMo TV exclusively features PM Narendra Modi’s previous speeches and content related to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It has been on air since March 31 across multiple private DTH (direct-to-home) networks.

The channel has been actively promoted across social media by both the BJP as well as the prime minister by asking viewers to tune in to speeches, campaigns, among others.

In their representation to the Election Commission against the NaMo TV, Opposition parties have alleged that broadcast rules were bent or overlooked to launch the channel just days ahead of the first phase of voting in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.