New Delhi, Oct. 21 -- The Election Commission of India has taken a significant step to ensure a level playing field during the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections.

In a directive issued today, the ECI has made it mandatory for all political parties and candidates to obtain pre-certification from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) for their advertisements on electronic media, including social media platforms.

Pre-certification requires that no political advertisement can be published on electronic media without prior certification from the MCMC.

The restriction applies to November 5-6 for Phase I and November 10-11 for Phase II of polling.

Applicants must submit their requests to the MCMC at least two days ...