Paid news: EC issues 167 notices to candidates
While the maximum numbers of 129 notices have been issued to candidates in Punjab, where polling was held on January 30, as many as 38 notices have been issued to candidates in Uttar Pradesh, where the elections are being held in seven-phases.
There had been no complaints about candidates resorting to paid news in Manipur and Uttarakhand, which went to polls on Jan 28 and 30 respectively, officials said.
A major chunk of complaints on paid news were against vernacular and regional media publications, they said.
However, no complaint has so far been proved in any of the cases though the poll panel would take a final view later and is awaiting the candidates' responses.
EC
officials
in
Delhi
said
all
complaints
received
in
this
respect
had
been
forwarded
to
the
respective
Chief
Electoral
Officers
of
the
states
concerned
and
they,
in
turn,
had
issued
notices.
The
complaints
would
be
taken
up
by
the
respective
district
and
state
level
Media
Certification
and
Monitoring
Committees
(MCMCs).
Poll body officials said there were fewer complaints involving paid news during assembly polls this time as the candidates had become "cautious" of possible fallout.
The EC on October 20, 2011, had disqualified Umlesh Yadav, MLA from Bisauli Assembly Constituency, after finding him guilty of getting news published in his favour during 2007 UP polls by paying hefty amount to media outlets.
EC officials said this case had served as a deterrent for the candidates in future.
However, they admitted that many candidates might be trying to hoodwink the Commission by evolving novel methods in connivance with the media houses this time around.
During the state assembly polls held last year in April and May, 41 complaints had been received from Kerala, 23 from West Bengal, 147 from Tamil Nadu and four from Puducherry.
These
complaints
are
still
being
investigated.
Likewise,
in
the
2010
November
polls
in
Bihar,
121
such
complaints
had
been
brought
to
the
EC's
notice.
Of these 121 cases, the EC found merit in 12 charges and forwarded the complaints to the Press Council of India for further action.
PTI