Delhi, 21 October (H.S.): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced a directive requiring pre-certification for all political advertisements in print media during the final 48 hours of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. This measure is intended to ensure a fair and level playing field during the crucial polling period.
The General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar, along with bye-elections for eight assembly constituencies, is scheduled to be held in two phases. Polling will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2025, for the first phase, and on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, for the second phase.
Under the new directive, no political party, candidate, organization, or individual will be permitted to publish any advertisement in print media on the day of the poll and one day prior without obtaining pre-certification for its content.
The approval must be granted by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) at the state or district level.The restricted dates for publishing uncertified advertisements are November 5 and 6 for the first phase and November 10 and 11 for the second phase.
All applicants seeking to publish political ads on these dates must submit their content to the MCMC no later than two days before the intended publication date.To facilitate this process, the ECI has activated MCMC units at both the state and district levels to promptly review and certify the advertisements.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar