Election Commission Tightens Grip on Political Hoardings: Publishers and Printers to be Identified

This directive aligns with the Commission's recent advisory to newspaper editors, urging caution in publishing political advertisements

Digital Desk: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a directive mandating the clear identification of printers and publishers on all election-related hoardings. This decision, endorsed by Chief Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Shri Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, aims to regulate campaign financing and ensure adherence to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, press release by joint director Anuj Chandak says.

The press note released on Wednesday further says that the directive, backed by Section 127A of the Act, prohibits the printing or publishing of election material without prominently displaying the name and address of the printer and publisher. 

“This requirement of disclosing the identity of publishers serves as a cornerstone for regulating campaign financing and fixing of responsibility in case content is found unbecoming of the framework of Model Code of Conduct or the statutory provisions,” the note further says.

The move comes in response to representations received by the Commission regarding the absence of publisher identities on hoardings, particularly those controlled by municipal authorities. With this directive, the onus of accountability now rests on printers, publishers, and licensees/contractors of urban local bodies renting out outdoor advertising space for political advertisements.

This directive aligns with the Commission's recent advisory to newspaper editors, urging caution in publishing political advertisements. Furthermore, attention is drawn to the instructions issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) regarding political advertisements on outdoor media, emphasizing the need for certification and approval before display.