Bihar Election 2025: Pre-certification mandatory for print ads on pre-poll and poll days
This step aims to uphold the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that political advertisements published close to polling are vetted for fairness, authenticity, and compliance with electoral norms, ECI said in a statement.
New Delhi, October 21: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that all political advertisements in print media during the Bihar Legislative Assembly Election 2025 must undergo pre-certification by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) on specific restricted days to maintain a fair and transparent campaign environment.
The ECI has scheduled the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar, 2025, along with bye-elections for eight Assembly Constituencies (ACs), with polling to be held in two phases — on November 6 (Thursday) and November 11 (Tuesday), 2025.
To ensure that political messaging remains within the bounds of the Model Code of Conduct, the Commission has mandated that no political party, candidate, organization, or individual shall publish advertisements in print media on the poll day or one day prior to it unless pre-certified by the MCMC at the state or district level.
For Bihar, the restricted publication dates are:
- November 5 and 6, 2025 (Phase I)
- November 10 and 11, 2025 (Phase II)
Applicants seeking pre-certification of advertisements must apply at least two days before the intended date of publication. The ECI has instructed that MCMC committees at both state and district levels be fully operational to process such applications and issue approvals promptly to avoid delays.
This step aims to uphold the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that political advertisements published close to polling are vetted for fairness, authenticity, and compliance with electoral norms, ECI said in a statement.
