New Delhi, March 23: The Election Commission of India has issued digital vouchers for free broadcast and telecast time on Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) to national and state political parties. This initiative aims to ensure equal opportunities for all recognized parties during election campaigns.
Under Section 39A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Election Commission has directed the allocation of broadcast and telecast time for the upcoming assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
Digital time vouchers have been issued to all recognized national and state political parties through an IT platform for the assembly elections in these five states and union territories.
The broadcasting period will be determined from the date of publication of the list of candidates contesting in each phase of the elections until two days before the voting date. The actual broadcast time will be allocated through a ‘lottery’ system at the state or union territory level. This process will be conducted in the presence of authorized representatives of political parties and officials from the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office of the respective state or union territory.
Each party is allocated 45 minutes of ‘base time’ for free broadcasting and telecasting on both Doordarshan and AIR. This time will be equally available to all parties across the regional networks within the state.
Additionally, political parties will receive extra time based on their electoral performance in the previous assembly elections in their respective states or union territories.
It is mandatory for political parties to submit written excerpts and recordings of their broadcasts in strict compliance with the relevant guidelines. Recordings can be made in studios that meet the technical standards set by Prasar Bharati or at Doordarshan/AIR centers.
In addition to the parties’ broadcasts, Prasar Bharati will also organize a maximum of two ‘panel discussions’ or ‘debates’ on Doordarshan and AIR. Each eligible political party can designate one representative for this program, which will be conducted by an approved coordinator.
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