Srinagar, Apr 20: The District Election Office (DEO) in Srinagar has taken action against a newspaper and web portal for allegedly airing content that favours a particular political party.
The notices, issued to the editors of these publications, request the removal of the content within a day.
The notices, signed by the nodal officer for the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in Srinagar, cite the Press Council of India (PCI) and MCC guidelines.
They instruct the portals to explain their actions and remove the content from all media platforms immediately.
The content in question includes video interviews or vox pops asking people about their voting preferences.
These interviews were subsequently shared on social media by a political party and its spokespersons.
While the content was not found on the social media accounts of the news portals, it remained on the political party’s social media handles.
The notices refer to Section 126A of the Representation of People Act, 1951, which prohibits the display of any election-related matter, including opinion polls, during the 48 hours leading up to the conclusion of polls.
They argue that the content aired by the portals favours a particular political party, thereby compromising the level playing field for other parties.
The notices also mention the PCI’s stance on the matter, emphasising that newspapers should not allow their platforms to be used for distorting or manipulating elections.
They highlight the importance of transparency in publishing pre-poll surveys, including disclosing information about the survey’s commission, sample size, and margin of error.
With the prohibitory period approaching in some constituencies, the notices express concern that the content may remain on political party media handles, potentially violating MCC guidelines and falling under the category of paid news.