Election Commission issues norms to monitor social media campaigns

Bringing social media within the ambit of the model code of conduct, theElection Commission has instructed parties and candidates to account for all expenses incurred during campaigning on such websites. 

The Commission issued detailed guidelines on monitoring political campaigning on websites such as Twitter, Facebook andYouTube, among others, on Friday. It's now mandatory for all candidates to declare their official accounts with different social media websites, seek the Commission's permission before advertising on such platforms and also declare the expenditure incurred on running social media campaign and accounts. The latter will, henceforth, be added to a candidate's total poll expenditure. 

These instructions have come in the backdrop of parties and candidates increasingly using social media for political campaigns. Acknowledging the importance of such platforms, the Commission has even defined social media and divided it into five broad categories to leave no room for different interpretations. 

Although the Commission said that the model code of conduct will apply to the use of social media as well, there was no clarity on whether parties or candidates will have to seek prior permission from the Commission before holding online interactive sessions just as they have to currently seek permission for organising a rally or public meeting. 

"We haven't taken a call on that. We'll probably have to wait for the incidence of something like that to happen," a senior Election Commission official told ET.(Economic Times)