Apar GuptaThe Election Commission of India has introduced initial guidelines to regulate social media usage for election campaigns, emphasizing transparency and fairness.
These guidelines require candidates to disclose their official social media accounts, ensuring authenticity and accountability. Political advertisements on social media must be pre-certified, aligning with rules for television and cable ads. Further, campaign expenditures on social media, including costs for advertisements and content creation, are mandatorily required to be reported. The guidelines also apply the Model Code of Conduct to address issues of online abuse and impose a 48-hour silence period before elections.
Read the guidelines: Instructions of the Commission-Social Media in Election Campaigning