The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday reinforced stringent guidelines governing the use of social media and digital platforms during the ongoing 2026 general and bye-elections, warning of prompt action against unlawful and misleading content, including material generated using artificial intelligence.
In a press note, the Commission emphasised that “all stakeholders shall ensure responsible and ethical use of social media and digital platforms,” in accordance with existing legal frameworks such as the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology Rules, 2021, and the Model Code of Conduct. It made clear that any misleading or unlawful AI-generated or manipulated content must be addressed within three hours of being flagged to platforms.
The Commission also called for greater transparency in the use of synthetic media in political campaigning. Political parties, candidates and their representatives have been instructed to clearly label such content as “AI-Generated”, “Digitally Enhanced” or “Synthetic Content”, along with disclosure of its source. This, the Commission said, is essential to “maintain transparency and voter trust” in an increasingly digital election landscape.
The directive comes amid assembly elections in states such as Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal, where authorities are closely monitoring online activity for violations. According to the Commission, content that breaches the MCC, spreads misinformation about the polling process, or risks disturbing law and order is being tracked and acted upon by designated State IT Nodal Officers.
Highlighting the scale of enforcement, the Commission said that since the announcement of elections on March 15, over 11,000 social media posts and URLs have been flagged for action. Measures taken include content takedowns, registration of FIRs, and the issuance of clarifications and rebuttals.
Reiterating provisions under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, particularly Section 126, the Commission underscored the ban on election-related content during the 48-hour silence period before polling concludes. It said all media platforms — television, radio, print and social media — must strictly adhere to these norms.
Encouraging public participation in safeguarding electoral integrity, the Commission noted that violations of the MCC can be reported through the C-Vigil module on the ECINET platform. Between March 15 and April 19, as many as 3,23,099 complaints were filed via the C-Vigil app, of which 96.01% were resolved within the mandated 100-minute window, demonstrating what the poll body described as a “robust and responsive grievance redressal mechanism.”