New Delhi, March 21 -- The Election Commission has issued an order to regulate political advertisements across electronic and digital media ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in four states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and the Union Territory of Puducherry, along with by-elections in six states.

According to the order, all political parties, candidates, and even individuals or organisations must get their advertisements approved before publishing them. The approval must be taken from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC).

This rule applies to advertisements shown on TV, radio, public display screens, e-papers, bulk SMS, voice messages, and social media platforms. The commission has said that candidate...