In an effort to increase accountability and traceability, the Election Commission (EC) has taken action against anonymous political hoardings by requesting the names of the publishers and printers.
In order to “regulate campaign financing and fix of responsibility in case the content is found unbecoming of the framework of the Model Code of Conduct or the statutory provisions,” the poll body stated that publisher identity disclosure was essential.
In order to promote accountability and transparency in campaign communications, the EC instructed Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories in a letter dated April 10 to make sure that printers and publishers were clearly identified on printed election-related material, including hoardings.
The commission made the decision in response to allegations that hoardings in areas under local authority control had been discovered without the printer’s or publisher’s identification.
Election pamphlets, posters, placards, and banners cannot be printed or published without the printer’s and publisher’s name and address clearly shown. This is stated in Section 127A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The EC requested in the letter to the Chief Secretaries that they notify all municipal or other authorities in charge of hoardings, posters, banners, etc. of the poll body’s instructions, including those issued in 2004 and 2007. The request was made “for strict compliance.” The Chief Electoral Officers were also told to convey this to all political parties in their States for “strict compliance”.
“With this directive, the commission now has put the accountability on printers, publishers, and licencees/contractors of urban local bodies renting out outdoor advertising space, for political advertisements published on outdoor media,” it said.
