The Election Commission of India is leaving no stone unturned to make the general elections free and fair. So far it has taken uncountable measures in run-up to the process and now as final days are just knocking the doors, the vigil seem to get more sharp. Acting on the constitutional powers it enjoys, it has on Saturday barred parties, candidates and others from publishing political advertisements in print media on polling day and a day prior to it in each of the seven phases of Lok Sabha polls unless their contents are pre-certified by screening committees. This is of vital importance as because these ultimate and penultimate days need special handling efforts. It’s a kind of pre-emptive measure and its necessity is beyond doubt since there are many such past disagreeable examples in the commission’s record books.

This clear-cut and no-nonsense approach of the ECI  has been aimed at preventing the occurrence of any untoward incident due to circulation of inflammatory, misleading or hate advertisements which can vitiate the entire election process. Also, making things complex, the affected candidates and parties too will have little opportunity of providing any clarification in such scenarios.It can be recalled that ECI had taken such a decision for the first time in 2015 Bihar polls.

Moreover, the last leg of campaigning has always been crucial in Indian elections since independence. These are the days when the seeds of the all-important swing factors are perhaps sown, particularly in the minds of a large portion of the gullible electorate.Multiple studies have corroborated the fact that although a substantial section of the Indian electorate decides whom to vote for, much ahead before the actual poll days, there is also a solid percentage that decide their loyalties either on election day or just a few days before. These late-deciders do not belong to any particular socio demographic group and although they are on a decline due to increase of overall literacy and political consciousness, they are still a deciding factor especially in close contests. This fact is not unknown to the think-tanks of the political parties and hence the urge to milk these days to the maximum, which very often takes unethical routes.

It is a fact that almost all these parties have sophisticated disinformation strategies, and a network of paid volunteers and social media as a platform is their first choice for circulating untrue propaganda which has prompted the ECI to intervene with certain restrictive guidelines. And  also with the sole intention of halting this deluge of falsehood from overflowing to the print media during this pivotal hours, ECI has risen  to the occasion emphatically.

The salvo was necessary to ensure the sanctitude of democracy and overall electoral peace. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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