As many of you will be aware elections are taking place in India between 11th April to 19th May 2019. There are some specific regulations in place regarding sending political SMS to India during this time, and further documentation is required for these type of SMS campaigns.
What do I need to provide?
- Certificate of approval from the MCMC
- A self-declaration/affidavit on the approximate expenditure incurred by the campaign/advertisement
- A No Objection Certificate (NOC) is required from the PMO’s office (if the Prime Minister is mentioned in the content)
- Contact details details of the person/entity requesting to send political messaging, including:
- Authorisation given to the entity
- their verifiable contact details (name, address, contact number, email) for traceability
- All levels of verifiable contact details (in case of multiple entities)
How do I send?
Once you’ve provided the documents needed, just set the source address of ELECTION and submit as normal, this will then be overwritten to local short codes and deliver correctly.
Please note that any campaign sent from your end in relation to the election must be pre-certified by the MCMC of Election Commission, subject to the submission of all documentation required.
Any further information?
Liability
Opt-in, content liability and penalties etc. by the end entity who is undertaking the activity.
Content & Documentation
All content must be pre-approved by the MCMC (Media Certification & Monitoring Committee) of the State Office of Election Commission.
A certificate of approval from the MCMC is required when registering political SMS content. Messages must adhere to pre-approved content only.
A self-declaration/affidavit on the approximate expenditure incurred by the campaign/advertisement must be provided by the person/political party.
References to the Prime Minister
A No Objection Certificate (NOC) is required from the PMO’s office if there is any reference in the messaging content to the Prime Minister or his name (as per the Names and National Emblems Act, 1950).
Further information
A 48 hour silent window must be observed (as per section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951)
When placing an order for political messaging campaigns, the details of the person/entity ordering should be retained at all levels; Authorisation given to the entity, their verifiable contact details (name, address, contact number, email address) for traceability along with all levels of verifiable contact details (in case of multiple entities)