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India's Election Commission Orders Pre-Certification of All Political Ads Before Bihar Votes

The directive tightens digital campaign oversight through pre-clearance of ads with detailed spending disclosures.

Overview

  • Media Certification and Monitoring Committees are in place at state and district levels, and no political ad can run on electronic or social media without their approval.
  • Candidates must provide details of their authentic social media accounts at the time of filing nominations to facilitate verification.
  • Political parties must file a statement of internet and social media campaign expenditure within 75 days of the polls, including platform payments, content creation, and account operations.
  • MCMCs will monitor suspected paid news, and the Commission has cautioned against misuse of AI or deepfakes under existing electoral laws.
  • The 48-hour silence period will be enforced with a ban on bulk SMS and voice messages, with rules applied for Bihar’s November 6 and 11 elections and by-elections on November 11.