Election Commission in a move to tighten the social media laws before the Lok Sabha Polls and to ensure unbiased elections, the poll panel of India on Tuesday asked Law Ministry of India to ban any sort of Electoral campaign or advertisement 48 hours before voting. The move has come only days before 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
As per Election Commission, all Digital and print media platforms should be banned from displaying election-related advertisements. As per election commission, a stop on such ads which are shown 48 hours before the voting can also stop the impact on voter’s mind.
This will come in play by amending section 126 of People’s Representative act.
The General Elections to the Lok Sabha are slated for due in May-April this year. However, the Election Commission of India is yet to make any official statements regarding the dates of the Polls.
Gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls due this summer, the Election Commission on Monday has written to Chief Secretaries, Chief Electoral Officers regarding postings and transfers officials posted in their home districts and those who have spent three years in a district in the last four years.
In a page letter, the Poll Panel has stated “The Commission has been following a consistent policy that officers directly connected with the conduct of elections in an election going State/UT are not posted in their home districts or places where they have served for the considerably long period”
It said while the term of the 16th Lok Sabha ends on June 3, the terms of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim assemblies expire on June 18, June 1, June 11 and May 27, respectively.
However, as per latest reports, State Polls in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand might be clubbed with Lok Sabha Polls 2019, as the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party eyes to dissolve the premature assemblies in these states to gain political gains banking on Modi led Central Government.