Ahead of poll day, ECI issues directive on political advertisements

Ahead of the coming Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday (April 6, 2026) said that no political party, candidate, organisation, or individual should publish any political advertisement in newspapers on the day of polling or a day prior to voting unless the content has been pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) at the State or district level.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry will go to the polls in April, while bye-elections will be held in six States.

Individuals or contesting candidates can apply for certification of advertisements with District MCMC. All registered political parties headquartered in a State or a Union Territory can apply for certification of such advertisements with the State-level MCMC, the poll body said in a statement.

Applicants seeking pre-certification for political advertisements in print media must apply to the MCMC no later than two days prior to the proposed date of publication of the advertisement. To facilitate timely pre-certification, the MCMCs at the State and district levels have been activated to examine and pre-certify such advertisements, and ensure that decisions are made expeditiously. The MCMCs shall also keep a strict vigil on suspected cases of paid news in the media and take suitable action, the Election Commission of India said.