-The Times of India CHANDIGARH: Drug abuse was a big issue in the 2014 parliamentary elections in Punjab and had dented the SAD-BJP alliance’s performance. In the run-up to the 2017 assembly elections, Congress claimed it would break the supply line of drugs within a month of coming to power. But despite efforts of enforcement agencies, the state’s drug problem continues unabated. This can be seen from the seizures made by different...

-The Economic Times The EC is set to ask that the expenditure incurred towards this ‘advertising’ portal be reflected in BJP’s annual audit and expenditure reports. New Delhi: The Election Commission has ruled that NaMo TV, BJP’s purported ‘advertising portal’ carried by DTH operators, should be subjected to content certification regime, like all other political advertisements during the model code period. ET has learnt that the poll panel has written to the Delhi...

-PTI The Election Commission of India on Friday expressed “displeasure” over NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar’s remarks against the Congress’ proposed minimum income scheme ‘NYAY’ and said the comments violated the model code of conduct norms. In a communication sent to Mr. Kumar, the EC asked him to be cautious in future while making statements. The EC asserted that the public servants should not only be impartial in their conduct but also in...

-IANS New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) should treat social media like any other media and all rules that apply to the media during the model code of conduct should also apply to social media, former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi said on Friday. Quraishi was speaking at an event where a group of former bureaucrats and organisations, like Common Cause, Free Internet Foundation, Association for Democratic Reforms and Free Software Movement...

-The Economic Times The group said the threat posed by digital platforms to the integrity of the upcoming elections has assumed “alarming proportions”. A group of rights organisations and citizens — including Internet Freedom Foundation, Common Cause and former chief election commissioners N Gopalaswami and SY Quraishi — have “made an urgent appeal” to the Election Commission to rein in digital platforms to ensure integrity of the general elections. The group, which also...