NaMo TV goes off air after LS polls

NaMo TV, a BJP-sponsored channel that publicised Prime Minister NarendraModi’s rallies and other poll messages, has gone off air, party sources said.

They said it went off air on May 17 when all campaigns forthe LokSabha election came to an end. 

   

A BJP leader, requesting anonymity, said, “NaMo TV wasmeant as a tool of BJP campaign for the LokSabha election. With the polls over,it is no longer needed, so effectively from May 17, when all campaign has to bepaused, it has also gone off air.” The channel was mired in controversyever since it went on air.

The chief electoral officer of Delhi had sent a notice tothe BJP for “airing election-related content” on NaMo TV even afterthe silence period began, but the party had said they did not violate the modelcode of conduct.

In April, after the Election Commission had directed thatall recorded programmes displayed on NaMo TV be pre-certified, the Delhi pollbody asked the BJP not to air any content on the platform without itscertification. The chief electoral office in Delhi had also said since NaMo TVwas sponsored by the BJP, all recorded programmes displayed on the platform bepre-certified by media certification and monitoring committee of Delhi and allpolitical publicity contents displayed without pre-certification be removedimmediately. The commission had issued a notice seeking areport from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on NaMo TV, launched justweeks ahead of the general election, after opposition parties, including theCongress, asked the poll body to direct the ministry to suspend the channel inviolation of the poll code.

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