Patiala: EC notices to 15 for online promos

PATIALA: In the era of social media, the candidates took to various online platforms to build their cases, forcing the monitoring agency to slap extra expenditure on them as social media is not for free.


The media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC) Patiala has issued 15 notices to the candidates contesting elections and many of their supporters for uploading material on Facebook without seeking proper approval of the authorities.

Additionally, an amount of Rs 1,60,000 has been added to the expenditure of various candidates for creative works and using Facebook to increase their reach among the masses and for boosting their advertisements on Facebook.

The MCMC was established under the directions of the Election Commission and chief electoral officer of Punjab to supervise and monitor paid advertisements in social and electronic media sites.

Among those who were issued notices for uploading objectionable content without prior approval included the AAP candidate Neena Mittal. The candidate accepted the lapse and apologised in writing consequent upon which she was issued warning according to the rules and regulations established regarding violation of the guidelines of the election commission.

Shiv Sena candidate Ashwani Kumar was also issued a notice by the MCMC and he too was issued a warning after he apologised in writing.

Sitting member of parliament and Nava Punjab Party candidate Dr Dharamvir Gandhi was served a notice and two reminders for uploading an election campaign song on Facebook without prior approval of the MCMC. Gandhi was warned after he gave a written apology for violating the guidelines.