MUMBAI: In a run-up to the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, the Election Commission (EC) has granted permission to political parties to broadcast their campaigns on All India Radio and Doordarshan.
The Commission has allotted time slots broadcast and telecast time to parties and has also decided to extend the equitable time-sharing scheme on the electronic media through Prasar Bharati Corporation. The use of broadcast and telecast time will be available only to national parties and recognized state parties in the polls.
The facility will be available from Regional Kendras of All India Radio and Doordarshan and in the headquarters of the two states. It will also be relayed by other stations within those states. A base time of 45 minutes will be allotted to each national party and recognized state party uniformly on the regional Kendra of Doordarshan and AIR network in both the states.
The EC states that the additional time to be allotted to parties has been decided on the basis of their performance in the last polls. No party will however, be allocated more than 15 minutes in a single session of broadcast and time vouchers will be issued in the denomination of five minutes to each of the six national parties including BJP, Congress, BSP, CPI, CPI-M, and NCP.
An order by the EC stated, "There will however, be no telecast or broadcast during the 48 hours preceding the close of polls as per specific provisions of the Representation of People Act, 1951."
While BJP has got the maximum of 191 minutes in Gujarat and 175 minutes in Himachal Pradesh for each of broadcast and telecast, opposition Congress has got 158 and 161 minutes in the two states. The period of broadcast and telecast will commence on the last date of filing the nominations and will culminate two days before the date of poll.