The Election Commission of India has allocated digital time vouchers to recognized National and State political parties, granting them free broadcast and telecast time on Doordarshan and All India Radio for the upcoming Assembly elections. This initiative is in accordance with Section 39A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The Commission has issued detailed guidelines for the allocation of airtime during the General Elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
Digital time vouchers have been distributed to all recognized National and State political parties through the Commission’s IT platform across the five poll-bound States and a Union Territory. The broadcast and telecast window will be open from the publication of the list of contesting candidates in each phase until two days before the polling date in the respective regions, as stated by the ECI. The scheduling of broadcast slots will be determined in advance through a draw of lots at the State or Union Territory level in the presence of authorized representatives of political parties and officials from the office of the concerned Chief Electoral Officer.
Each party will receive a base allocation of 45 minutes of free airtime on both Doordarshan and All India Radio under this scheme. This allocation will be evenly distributed across the regional networks within the respective State or Union Territory. Parties will also receive additional airtime based on their performance in the previous Assembly elections in the concerned State or Union Territory. The Commission has set out specific guidelines for content submission, requiring political parties to submit transcripts and recordings in advance to ensure compliance with prescribed norms.
Prasar Bharati will organize up to two panel discussions or debates to be aired on Doordarshan and All India Radio, in addition to individual party broadcasts. Each eligible political party can nominate one representative for these programs, which will be moderated by an approved coordinator.
