Election Commission has barred the political parties and candidates in Punjab and Goa from publishing advertisement in newspapers on 3rd and 4th of this month without its prior approval. The two states will go to poll on Saturday. The Commission has asked them to get pre-certified the advertisements from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee at the state and district levels before their publication.
The poll body said the decision has been taken in view of past instances of advertisements of offending and misleading nature in print media on such occasion which vitiate the elections in the last stage.
In its direction to the Chief Electoral Officers of the two states, the Commission asked them to issue directions to political parties, candidates and newspapers in this regard. The direction has come into forces immediately.