Political parties can campaign on DD and AIR for free with ‘digital vouchers’ issued by ECI

Political parties can now campaign on DD and AIR free of charge with the Election Commission of India (ECI) issuing ‘digital vouchers’ The Commission announced on Monday that ‘digital vouchers’ would be provided to national and regional parties for the upcoming assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.

These vouchers will allow political parties to carry on with their respective campaigns free of charge on Doordarshan and All India Radio.

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According to the ECI, under Section 39A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, recognised political parties in the states and Union territories have been allocated time on radio and television for their promotion during the elctions. The process has been carried out digitally through IT platforms. Consequently, for the assembly elections, all recognised national and state-level political parties have been granted ‘digital time vouchers’ through IT platforms in five electoral states/UTs.

The election commission has clarified that the list of candidates will be published from the time of the party’s campaign until two days before voting. The timing allocated to each party will be determined through a ‘draw’ (lottery) conducted in the presence of the Chief Election Officer at the state level and representatives of the parties. The election commission has announced that under this plan, each political party will receive 45 minutes of free airtime on Doordarshan and All India Radio’s regional networks. Additionally, extra time has been allocated based on the performance of the parties in the previous assembly elections.

Political parties must submit their speeches or campaign scripts and recordings in advance, adhering strictly to the regulations. These recordings can be made in any studio according to Indian standards or directly at Doordarshan/Aakashvani centres.

The ECI has announced that, in addition to the party broadcasts, Prasar Bharati, Doordarshan and All India Radio will organise two panel discussions or debate programmes. Each eligible political party may send one representative for these events, who will be managed by an experienced coordinator.

It is noteworthy that voting will take place in a single phase on April 9, 2026, in Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry. In Tamil Nadu, voting for all 234 seats will occur on April 23, 2026. In West Bengal, the elections will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will cover 152 seats on April 23, and the second phase will cover 142 seats on April 29. The vote counting for all states will take place on May 4, 2026.