DW BUREAU / CHANDIGARH

Chief Electoral Officer Haryana Pankaj Agarwal informed that the Election Commission of India has fixed time for recognized national and regional political parties to conduct their election campaigns through the regional centers of Doordarshan and All India Radio for the Haryana Assembly elections.

Pankaj Agarwal informed that the Election Commission has allotted time to 6 national and 2 regional political parties of Haryana. He informed that the national parties include Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya People's Party and Aam Aadmi Party. Apart from this, regional parties include Indian National Lok Dal and Jannayak Janata Party.

He informed that the Commission had permitted free use of television and radio for campaigning in the 1998 general election, and subsequently extended it to the state legislative assembly/general elections. With the amendments in the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Election and other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2003 and the rules notified thereunder, equal time sharing for campaigning on electronic media by recognized political parties has become statutory.

Therefore, the Commission has permitted the said scheme of equal time sharing on electronic media through Prasar Bharati Corporation to be used in the Haryana Legislative Assembly general election, 2024.

The Chief Electoral Officer informed that a total time of 720 minutes each has been allotted to the political parties for campaigning on All India Radio and Doordarshan.

He also provided the details of the allotted time slots for the national parties on All India Radio and Doordarshan: Bharatiya Janata Party has been allocated 197 minutes, Indian National Congress 162 minutes, Communist Party of India (Marxist) 45 minutes, Bahujan Samaj Party 62 minutes, Rashtriya People's Party 45 minutes, and Aam Aadmi Party 47 minutes. Among the regional parties, Indian National Lok Dal has been given 55 minutes, while Jannayak Janata Party has been allotted 107 minutes.
(editor@dailyworld.in)