Publicity on TV, radio 48 hrs prior voting may land politicians in jail

Bengaluru: Any government official may get a notice from Election Commission and may even need to go to imprison for a period of two years if his remarks contending for him or his party is broadcast by a TV channel during the 48 hours before the polling of  Assembly elections in Karnataka on May 12. 

The Election Commission cleared up on Tuesday that the restriction on airing any substance, which may impact the voters, on TV and radio channels amid the 48 hours before the finish of election polling will stay in constrain during the upcoming Assembly elections in Karnataka

The EC expressed that every one of the arrangements of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951 will prevail for all during the Assembly polls. 

The EC issued the illumination to scatter any uncertainty over appropriateness of the Act as it had in January constituted a panel to give a re-look to the Section 126 of the law.

The board of trustees was constituted after a discussion over Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s meeting circulated by some TV channels on December 13 a year ago  only a day prior to the second stage polling for the elections to the Gujarat Assembly was planned to be held. The EC had served a notice to Rahul for ridiculing the Section 126 of the Act. 

The Section 126 prohibits showing any election related matter on TV or “similar contraption” during the time of 48 hours finishing with the hour settled for determination of elections  in a constituency. The “election matter” has been characterized in the segment as any issue proposed or figured to impact or influence the aftereffect of an election. 

It had constituted a board of trustees to study about and inspect the present arrangements of Section 126 and other related segments of Act and recognize challenges or basic gaps to direct the infringement of the arrangements of the demonstration, especially during the prohibitory time of 48 hours.