A copy of the Commission’s Order No. 437/TA-LA/12/24/Communication, dated 28th August 2024, regarding the allotment of broadcast/telecast time to National/State political parties in the General Election to the Legislative Assemblies of Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir, 2024, is enclosed for the information of the general public.
**(Rajesh Kumar Singh)**
*Under Secretary*
—
**Election Commission of India**
*Nirvachan Sadan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi – 110001*
Dated: 28th August 2024
Order No. 437/TA-LA/12/24/Communication
**ORDER**
At the time of the General Elections to the Lok Sabha in 1998, a new initiative for State funding of recognized political parties through free use of the State-owned Television and Radio was introduced under directions of the Commission, vide its Order, dated 16th January 1998. The said scheme was subsequently extended in all General Elections to the State Assemblies held after 1998 and General Elections to the Lok Sabha in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024.
With the amendments to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, vide the “Election and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2003” and the rules notified thereunder, equitable time-sharing for campaigning by recognized political parties on electronic media now has a statutory basis. In the exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of the Explanation below section 39A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Central Government has notified all such broadcasting media which are owned, controlled, or financed wholly or substantially by funds provided to them by the Central Government as the electronic media for the purposes of that section. Therefore, the Commission has decided to extend the said scheme of equitable time-sharing on electronic media through Prasar Bharati Corporation to the ensuing General Election to the Legislative Assemblies of Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir, 2024.
The facility of the use of broadcast time and telecast time is available only to ‘National Parties’ and respective ‘Recognized State Parties’ in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.
—
**SALIENT FEATURES OF THE SCHEME:**
1. The facilities will be available from the Regional Kendra of the All India Radio and Doordarshan and relayed by other stations within Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.
**Time allotted for Telecast/Broadcast:**
2. A base time of 45 minutes is given to each National Party and respective ‘Recognized State Parties’ in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir, uniformly on the Regional Kendras of Doordarshan network and All India Radio network in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.
3. The additional time to be allotted to the party has been decided based on the poll performance of the party in the last assembly election of Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.
4. In a single session of broadcast, no party will be allocated more than 15 minutes.
**Date of Telecast/Broadcast:**
5. The period of broadcast and telecast will be between the date of publication of the list of contesting candidates for the election (in each phase) and two days before the date of poll in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.
6. The Prasar Bharati Corporation in consultation with the Commission will decide the actual date and time for broadcast and telecast. This will be subject to the broad technical constraints governing the actual time of transmission available with Doordarshan and All India Radio.
**Submission of Transcripts in Advance:**
7. The guidelines prescribed by the Commission for telecast and broadcast will be strictly followed. The parties will be required to submit transcripts and recordings in advance. The parties can get this recorded at their own cost in studios that meet the technical standards prescribed by the Prasar Bharati Corporation or at the Doordarshan/All India Radio Kendra. They can, in the alternative, have these recorded in the studios of Doordarshan and All India Radio by advance requests. In such cases, the recordings may be done at timings indicated by Doordarshan/All India Radio in advance.
**Panel Discussions and Debate:**
8. In addition to the broadcast by parties, the Prasar Bharati Corporation will organize a maximum of two-panel discussions and/or debates on the Kendra/Station of Doordarshan & All India Radio. Each eligible party can nominate one representative to such a program.
9. The Election Commission of India will approve the names of coordinators for such panel discussions and debates in consultation with the Prasar Bharati Corporation.
**Guidelines for Observance in Telecasts/Broadcasts:**
10. The telecasts/broadcasts on Doordarshan/AIR will not permit:
a) Criticism of other countries;
b) Attack on religions or communities;
c) Anything obscene or defamatory;
d) Incitement of violence;
e) Anything amounting to contempt of court;
f) Aspersion against the integrity of the President and Judiciary;
g) Anything affecting the unity, sovereignty, and integrity of the Nation;
h) Any criticism by name of any person.
**Digital Time Vouchers for Parties:**
11. Attention is highlighted to the ECI order no. 437/TA-LA/12/23/Communication dated 18th July 2023, whereby ECI has amended the existing scheme for the use of Government-owned electronic media by political parties by introducing a provision to issue digital time vouchers through an Information Technology (IT) platform.
12. Digital time vouchers will be available in the denomination of 5 minutes with one voucher having a time allotment of 1 to 4 minutes, and the parties will be free to combine them suitably. The allotment of time to different political parties is given in a statement enclosed herewith.
**Order,**
**(Rajesh Kumar Singh)**
*Under Secretary*
—
**Time Allocation Table:**
**Haryana**
| **Name of National/State Party** | **Broadcast (AIR) Time** | **Telecast (DD) Time** | **No. of Time Vouchers Issued** |
|———————————–|—————————|————————|———————————|
| AAP | 45 minutes | 45 minutes | 9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes) |
| BSP | 62 minutes | 62 minutes | 12 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes) |
| BJP | 197 minutes | 197 minutes | 39 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes) |
| CPM | 45 minutes | 45 minutes | 9 (5 minutes each) |
| INC | 162 minutes | 162 minutes | 32 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes) |
| NPP | 45 minutes | 45 minutes | 9 (5 minutes each) |
| INLD | 55 minutes | 55 minutes | 11 (5 minutes each) |
| JNJP | 107 minutes | 107 minutes | 21 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes) |
**Jammu & Kashmir**
| **Name of National/State Party** | **Broadcast (AIR) Time** | **Telecast (DD) Time** | **No. of Time Vouchers Issued** |
|———————————–|—————————|————————|———————————|
| AAP | 45 minutes | 45 minutes | 9 (5 minutes each) |
| BSP | 52 minutes | 52 minutes | 10 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes) |
| BJP | 162 minutes | 162 minutes | 32 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes) |
| CPM | 48 minutes | 48 minutes | 9 (5 minutes each) + 1 (3 minutes) |
| INC | 137 minutes | 137 minutes | 27 (5 minutes each) + 1 (2 minutes) |
| NPP | 45 minutes | 45 minutes | 9 (5 minutes each) |
| JKN | 151 minutes | 151 minutes | 30 (5 minutes each) + 1 (1 minute) |
| JKPDP | 160 minutes | 160 minutes | 32 (5 minutes each) |
| JKNPP (Bhim) | 50 minutes | 50 minutes | 10 (5 minutes each) |
| JKNPP (India) | 50 minutes | 50 minutes | 10 (5 minutes each) |
—
**List of Political Parties:**
**National Parties:**
1. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
2. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
3. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
4. Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM)
5. Indian National Congress (INC)
6. National People’s Party (NPP)
**State Parties:**
1. Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)
2. Jannayak Janta Party (JNJP)
3. Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKN)
4. Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (Bhim) (JKNPP (Bhim))
5. Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (India) (JKNPP (India))
6. Jammu & Kashmir
Click here ⬇
