Overview

• An October 9 directive requires parties and candidates to secure approval from Media Certification and Monitoring Committees before releasing any political advertisements on electronic or social platforms.
• MCMCs have been constituted at state and district levels and will monitor suspected instances of paid news for appropriate action.
• Candidates must disclose their authentic social media accounts when filing nominations to identify official campaign messaging.
• Under Section 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act and Supreme Court directions, parties must file detailed digital campaign expenditure within 75 days, including payments to platforms, content creation, and account maintenance costs.
• The EC reiterated silence‑period rules that prohibit bulk SMS and audio messages in the 48 hours before voting concludes, as Bihar votes on November 6 and 11 with results on November 14 alongside by-elections on November 11.