New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out stricter regulations for political advertising ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections and by-elections in six states and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Under the new directive, every political party and contesting candidate must now get all their political advertisements pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) before they can be aired on electronic or social media platforms.
The ECI, which announced the election schedule on October 6, 2025, issued this order three days later — on October 9 — as part of its efforts to ensure clean and transparent campaigning. The move aims to curb misinformation, misleading political propaganda, and the growing menace of paid news that often clouds the fairness of elections.
MCMCs have been established at both the district and state levels to handle the pre-certification process. These committees will review all proposed political advertisements and approve them only if they comply with the Election Commission’s guidelines. Simply put, no party or candidate will be allowed to post campaign material — whether on television, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or any other online platform — without prior approval from MCMC.
In addition to screening advertisements, MCMCs will monitor media content closely to identify any instances of paid news. If detected, such cases will be dealt with firmly under the Commission’s guidelines.
Recognising the growing influence of digital campaigning, the ECI has also made it mandatory for all candidates to declare their official social media handles at the time of filing nominations. This is to ensure authenticity and prevent impersonation or the misuse of fake accounts during the campaign period.
As per Section 77(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and as directed by the Supreme Court, political parties are also required to submit detailed statements of their election expenditure. This includes not only traditional campaigning but also digital spending — such as payments to internet companies for advertisements, costs of content creation, and operational expenses for maintaining social media accounts.
The ECI has given parties a 75-day window after the completion of elections to submit these reports. With these measures, the Commission has made it clear: transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct will define the digital battlefield in India’s democracy.