08-05-2023 : The Election Commission has issued an advisory to political parties in Karnataka stating that no candidate or party shall publish any print media advertisement on the day of the election or the day prior to it without prior clearance from the media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC). The advisory comes ahead of the May 10 voting in the state, with the campaign for the assembly elections set to conclude on Monday.
In addition to this, the poll authority has also stressed the importance of conducting a “clean and serious” campaign as electioneering reaches a feverish pitch in the state. The Election Commission has made it clear to editors that they hold responsibility for all matters, including advertisements, published in their newspapers under the Press Council of India’s norms for journalistic conduct.
The Commission has also stated that any disclaimer of responsibility must be explicitly stated beforehand. The advisory states that all political advertisements during the silence period, including the election day and one day prior, must be pre-certified by the MCMC. The advisory goes on to state that no political party, candidate, or any other organization or person can publish any advertisement in the print media on the poll day or one day prior to it unless the contents of the political advertisement have been pre-certified by the MCMC at the state or district level, as the case may be.
The Election Commission’s advisory seeks to ensure that the electoral process in Karnataka is conducted fairly and without any untoward incidents. The Commission has also urged political parties and candidates to comply with the guidelines and rules set out for conducting a free and fair election. With the conclusion of the campaign period, the state gears up for the assembly elections with the hope that the electoral process is conducted smoothly and peacefully.