Chennai: Despite Election Commission of India norms calling for sanctions on any paid news charge, the District Election Officer for Chennai is of the opinion that such instances, if reported, would only result in it being added to the candidate’s ‘election expenditure’.
Responding to a query, during an interaction with mediapersons at Amma Maaligai in Ripon Buildings complex, Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation and DEO, Dr B. Chandramohan admitted as much. The question was that because ECI norms are binding on all publications and electronic media, whether there will be sanctions on party mouthpieces, of which there are many in Tamil Nadu, if found to be providing “excess coverage” for a particular candidate.
Earlier, members of the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee, present during the meeting, levelled allegations that there have been instances when publications have resorted to twisting words used in photo captions even to make it look like seeking votes for a particular party/symbol.
“Excess importance in coverage given to one candidate, identical articles featured in multiple publications or on the same page of a publication about one candidate, favourable articles about a candidate that doesn’t carry a byline,” said Dr Chandramohan.
Chandramohan added that parties taking the digital campaign route will have to keep track of expenses incurred on it as it will also count towards election expenditure. “We have noticed that some parties are paying Internet companies to feature digital ads and promote campaign material. All expenses for campaign activity on the Internet and social media will count towards the candidate’s election expenditure. For example, if a person posts campaign content on his/her own Facebook account like an audio/video clip, then the cost in producing the content which is posted on it will have to be included in the expenditure list,” he said. Door-to-door distribution of booth slips, he added, will be taken up in all zones from May 5.
