India, March 21 -- The Election Commission of India (EC) on Friday made it mandatory for political parties, candidates and associated groups to obtain prior approval for all political advertisements on electronic and social media platforms before they are published, as part of stricter guidelines issued ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

The poll panel, which recently announced the election schedule on March 15 for these states along with bye-elections in six others, said the move is aimed at ensuring transparency and curbing the spread of misinformation during the campaign period.

The directive requires that any political advertisement, whether on television, radio, public...