Air time row: EC seeks details from Prasar Bharati

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday directed Prasar Bharati to furnish details of coverage time it allotted to political parties during its news bulletins on Doordarshan?s national and news channels.

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday directed Prasar Bharati to furnish details of coverage time it allotted to political parties during its news bulletins on Doordarshan’s national and news channels.

HT Image

The EC directive comes on a complaint filed by the Congress, which claimed Doordarshan had been giving more coverage to the BJP and its allies.

The Congress felt excess coverage of a particular party, especially during the poll process, could be of tremendous advantage to it considering the vast reach of Doordarshan, EC sources said. It urged the EC to act fast as three phases of polling were yet to be completed.

The EC summoned Prasar Bharati CEO K.S. Sarma and other top Doordarshan officials. It directed Prasar Bharati to submit a detailed reply by Friday evening.

Sources said Prasar Bharati would give a comparative analysis of how much footage it gave to various political parties.

“Prasar Bharati should not act as an official media agency for the government and strike a balance in its political coverage,” a top EC official said.

However, sources admitted that Doordarshan might have faltered on this issue and given more coverage to the NDA, particularly to L.K. Advani’s yatra.

 

Poll pick

Uma Bharti ill

Uma Bharti’s chopper made an emergency landing in Ahmednagar after she complained of chest pain. Uma was admitted to a hospital in Nasik. Doctors said her condition was normal

Jharkhand minister attacked

Jharkhand minister Madhu Singh had a narrow escape when alleged Naxalites fired at him in Daltonganj. But he was seriously injured when a mob pelted stones at him

Docs boycott polls

Doctors in Jharkhand decided to boycott poll duty to protest the killing of a doctor by extremists on Tuesday

EC corner

* Congress alleged EVMs were tampered with in Andhra. It said the button for the hand symbol was not functioning in many booths

* The EC termed as ‘vague’ Chandrababu Naidu’s allegation about large-scale deletion of names from the rolls in Andhra

PM campaigns for Rudy

PM A.B. Vajpayee campaigned for Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Shahnawaz Hussain at Chapra and Kishanganj in Bihar. But he had trouble pronouncing Rudy’s name, calling him Ruda once before correcting himself