Election Commission directs Central and State governments to remove unauthorised political posters

The Election Commission has directed both Central and State governments to promptly eliminate all unauthorised political posters from government properties, according to sources. 

This directive includes areas such as Railways and Airports.

Earlier on March 20, as many as 11,682 defacements, including wall writings, posters and banners, were removed in Gautam Buddh Nagar district within 72 hours in line with the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha election, according to official data.

Of the total defacements removed, 9,361 were on public properties and 2,321 on private spaces across the district, data on the status of enforcement of the poll code, accessed by PTI, showed.

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According to the Election Commission’s guidelines on model code of conduct, all wall writings, posters, papers, cutouts, banners, flags or defacements in any other form, including cutouts, hoardings, banners, among others, on government properties should be removed within 24 hours from the announcement of elections.

Additionally, all “unauthorised political advertisement” in similar forms on public properties and public spaces such as railway stations, bus stands, airports, railway bridges, roadways, government buses, electric or telephone poles, municipal and local bodies’ buildings, shall be removed within 48 hours of the announcement, the EC says.