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New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Ahead of the Bihar elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday issued a notification regarding pre-certification of print advertisements for the pre-poll period and polling day.
“The ECI has announced the schedule of General Elections to the Bihar Legislative Assembly, 2025 and by-elections for eight assembly constituencies. The polling dates have been fixed as November 6 and November 11,” ECI Deputy Director, P. Pawan, said in a statement.
“To ensure a fair campaign environment, no political party, candidate, organization or individual shall publish any advertisement in the print media on and before the day of poll unless the content is pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) at the state or district level,” the ECI said.
According to the ECI, for Bihar, the restricted days are November 5 and 6 for Phase I and November 10 and 11 for Phase II.
“Applicants seeking pre-certification for political advertisements in print media are required to submit their applications to the MCMC two days before the expected publication date. To facilitate timely approval, MCMCs at both the state and district levels have been activated to review and pre-certify the advertisements and ensure that decisions are made promptly,” the ECI said in a statement.
On October 18, the ECI had announced paid leave for employed voters on the two polling days for the Bihar Assembly elections and warned employers of penalties if they deduct salaries from employees taking leave on November 6 and 11.
“The Commission has directed the state governments to issue necessary instructions to all concerned for strict compliance with these provisions and to ensure that all voters can exercise their franchise in a free and convenient manner,” the ECI said in a circular.
According to the ECI schedule, by-elections for eight assembly constituencies in seven states will also be held on November 11.
P. Pawan further said, “As per Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, every person employed in any business, trade, industrial undertaking or other establishment and entitled to vote shall be granted paid holiday on the day of polling.”
–IANS
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