ECI bars NaMo TV telecast

NEW DELHI: Cracking the whip on NaMo TV, the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday ruled that the BJP-sponsored channel cannot telecast political programmes in poll-going constituencies during the "silence period" in any phase of the ongoing elections, sources said.

The poll panel also asked Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer -- who is the nodal officer to pre-certify political content on pan-India TV channels -- to ensure that its directions are followed.

The decision came a week after the EC ruled that since the content being aired on NaMo TV -- a channel dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies and speeches -- was not certified, it should immediately stop telecast.

However, the new order means that the channel cannot air any political content during the silence period -- the 48 hours before the conclusion of voting.

"As NaMo TV/Content TV is sponsored by a political party, all recorded programmes of political content displayed on the channel/platform would be covered under the purview of the Commission's Order... Accordingly all recorded programmes with political content are mandatorily required to be pre-certified by the MCMC (Media Certification and Monitoring Committee) before telecasting," the EC earlier said.

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