The Election Commission on Saturday barred parties, candidates and others from publishing political advertisements on polling day and a day prior to it in each of the seven phases of the Lok Sabha polls unless their contents have been certified by screening committees.
Only the electronic media is now barred from showing election publicity material during the last 48 hours before conclusion of polling.
The EC order said it was using its constitutional powers to issue such a directive as instances of ads of offending and misleading nature published in the print media had been brought to its notice in the past.
