Port Blair, April 16: The Election Commission of India has asked Political Parties or Candidates or any other Organizations or Person to refrain from publishing any advertisement in the print media without Pre-certification on Poll Day and one day prior to Poll Day.

The Election Commission in its letter issued to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States & UTs on April 1,2024, has stated that instances of advertisements of offending and misleading nature published in print media have been brought to the notice of the Commission in the past. Such advertisements in the last stage of the election vitiate the entire election process and the affected candidates and parties will not have any opportunity of providing clarification/rebuttal in such cases.

The Election Commission further states that in order to ensure that such instances are not repeated, and no untoward incident takes place because of any inflammatory, misleading or hate advertisements, the Commission, in exercise of its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution and all other powers enabling it in this behalf, hereby directs that no Political Party or Candidate or any other Organization 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 got Pre-certified by them from the MCMC at the State/District level, as the case may be. This will apply in the case of political advertisements to be published in the print media in circulation in the States/UTs going to poll in different phases.

In the first phase, the Restricted Days are (Poll Day-April 19, 2024)  & (one day prior to Poll Day-April 18, 2024).

The Election Commission further informs that Political Party or Candidate or any other Organization or Person above shall have to apply to MCMC not later than 02 (two) days prior to the proposed date of publication of advertisement.