Political parties and candidates have been asked to secure prior permission of the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) before they give campaign advertisements in the print, electronic and social media.
The MCMC, with District Collector Mir Mohammed Ali as its chairman and District Information Officer E.K. Padmanabhan as member secretary, should be provided two copies each of the advertisements in electronic and print formats along with pro forma application form.
The application should specify the expenditure for making the advertisement, scheduled time for its publication/broadcast/telecast, expenditure for that and whether it is for any candidate or party.
If the advertisement is given by an individual, who is neither the candidate nor a representative of the party, his or her affidavit should also be attached with it.
Affidavits declaring that payments of the expenditure is through cheque or demand draft should also be provided.
While recognised parties should apply for the prior permission three days before the time of publication/broadcast/telecast, smaller parties should do so seven days before. The MCMC has the power to issue instruction seeking changes in the advertisements if they are against rules.
