EC to issue e-vouchers for canvassing on Akashvani, DD

EC to issue e-vouchers for canvassing on Akashvani, DD

Subject : Polity

Section: Elections

Concept :

• The Election Commission has made the process of allotting airtime to political parties for campaigning on Akashvani and Doordarshan entirely online.
• Instead of collecting physical vouchers for the airtime, as is the norm now, the parties will henceforth be issued digital time vouchers through an Information Technology (IT) platform.
• Each party shall be given time Vouchers of different denominations of, 5 minutes and 10 minutes, equal to the total time allotted to it for telecasts on Doordarshan and broadcasts on AIR.
• That party shall have the discretion to choose any representatives and allow them to use those time vouchers provided that no such individual representative shall be allowed to use more than 20 minutes of the total time allotted to that party, either on Doordarshan or on AIR.
• The scheme for allotment of time on public broadcasters during campaigning, which was initially notified in January 1998, holds a statutory basis under Section 39A of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
• It was formulated after extensive consultations with recognised national and State parties and is aimed at ensuring equitable access to government-owned electronic media during elections for campaigning.
• Under this scheme, an equitable base time is allotted to each national party and recognised State party uniformly on DD and Akashvani and the additional time to be allotted to the parties is decided on the basis of their performance in the last Assembly election or the Lok Sabha election.

What is a national party?

• A national party refers to such a political party that has a presence “nationally”, whereas the presence of regional parties is limited to a particular state or region.
• National parties are usually India’s bigger parties, such as the Congress and BJP and a certain stature is associated with being a national party.
• According to the Representation of People Act 1951, registered political parties can get recognition as “State” or “National” parties in the due course of time.
• At present, there are six parties in India with the status of a “national party” including the BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), CPI(M), National People’s Party (NPP) and the AAP.

Criteria to be recognised as a “national party”

• The ECI reviews the performance of recognised parties after every State Assembly election and general election to the Lok Sabha in order to accord the status of “State Party” or “National Party”.
• The rules for recognition as a national party are specified by the ECI in para 6B of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
• According to the order, a registered party will be eligible to be accorded national status if it manages to:
• Be recognised as a “State party” in four or more States; or
• Secure at least 6% of the total votes polled in any four States in the last Lok Sabha or Assembly elections, and in addition, has a minimum of four of its members elected to the Lok Sabha; or
• Wins at least 2% of seats in the Lok Sabha from not less than three States.
• The Symbols Order of 1968 was amended in 2016 to give parties one additional “pass over”.
• According to the amendment, which is in force since January 1, 2014, if a national or State party fails to meet the eligibility rules in the next general elections (i.e. 2014 Lok Sabha polls) or the Assembly election after the election in which it was recognised, the party shall remain to be recognised as a national or State party,e. it will not be stripped of its status.
• However, whether it will continue to be recognised after any subsequent election would again have to be determined by the eligibility criteria.

Criteria to be recognised as a “State party”

• A party has to secure at least 6% of the valid votes polled and two seats in Assembly polls or one in Lok Sabha polls; or
• At a General Election or Legislative Assembly election, the party must have won at least 3% of the seats in the legislative assembly of the State (subject to a minimum of 3 seats); or
• At a Lok Sabha General Elections, the party must have won at least one Lok Sabha seat for every 25 Lok Sabha seats allotted for the State; or
• At a General Election to the Lok Sabha or the Legislative Assembly, the party must have at least 8% of the total valid votes polled.