Morphed, distorted, misquoted: EC withdraws 15 political advertisements of 3 major parties

Hyderabad: The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has clarified that the 15 advertisements withdrawn relate to content that was distorted and misused on various social media platforms by individuals or political parties.

State-level Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) certifies advertisements by political parties. Since October 9, 2023, over 416 advertisements by various political parties have been certified.

Certification of 15 advertisements by various political parties has been withdrawn after it was found that these advertisements were being morphed, distorted, misquoted, etc, and used beyond the purview of the certification for which it was originally approved.

In addition, it is also observed that political parties are running advertisements on YouTube and similar platforms without prior approval. This also requires approval from MCMC.

Three meetings were held with various political parties on between 8 and 11 November 2023 wherein the guidelines for certification were explained in detail. Further, discrepancies or issues related to the certification of advertisements and their use or misuse on various platforms like print / electronic/digital media including social media were informed. Further, they were informed that certification can be withdrawn upon violation as per extant rules. Representatives from all political parties had attended the meetings and assured to follow the guidelines.

The office of the CEO has requested the electronic media including Radio/FM Channels to cross-check the content of the advertisement by political parties and verify before telecasting. The approved advertisements are available with the deputy director (I and PR) in the office of the CEO, BRKR Bhavan, Telangana for cross-checking. Electronic media has been requested to refer to the compendium of instructions on media-related matters by the Election Commission of India (ECI) before telecasting or broadcasting the advertisements.

Certification for advertisements by political parties is a continuous and ongoing process. Any Political Party or candidate can submit an advertisement for certification to the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee at the state and district levels. As per the Additional CEO (MCC and MCMC), a total of 15 advertisements from three major political parties have been withdrawn.

List of Advertisements withdrawn:

BJP

1. 2BHK,

2. Donga Chethiki Thalam,

3. Farmer,

4. Nethi Beerakaya,

5. Penuku Petthanam,

BRS

1. Dekh Lenge (Song Telugu),

2. Modati Votu Evariki, Video Ad

3. Raithula anda danda KCR, Video Ad

4. Kalyana Laxmi

INC

1. Car,

2. Jobs and four advertisements related to farmers.