Elections and the airwaves

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• What is Rationale behind the allocation of free airtime on public broadcasters?
• Legal basis of this scheme
• Working of the scheme
• Operational challenges

Why in news?

• In the recently-concluded Karnataka Assembly elections, political parties were provided free airtime on public broadcasters, All India Radio (Akashvani) and Doordarshan during elections.

News Summary: Elections and the airwaves

• The six recognised national parties and one recognised State party were provided free airtime on public broadcasters during recently concluded Karnataka Assembly elections.
• The parties were allocated a base time of 45 minutes and additional slots based on performance in previous polls.
  • A total of 630 minutes of free airtime was issued under this allotment.

What is Rationale behind the allocation of free airtime on public broadcasters ?

• Airwaves are public property
  • The Supreme Court, in 1995, held that airwaves are public property and its use should serve the greater public good.
    • SC delivered this judgement in The Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting vs Cricket Association of Bengal and ANR case 1995.
  • Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. Hence, political parties are give free airtime.
• To ensure fair and equitable coverage of political campaigns
  • The concept of providing free airtime is based on the principle of giving every party an equal platform to present their policies, ideas, and vision to the electorate.
  • It helps to level the playing field and prevent any party from dominating the media landscape due to its financial resources or influence.
• To add more diversity and colour to the electoral process
  • In the Indian media landscape, due to the pattern of ownership of media houses, the public generally identify a broadcaster as being affiliated with one political party or the other. 
  • In this regard, State-sponsored airtime provides more diversity and colour to the electoral process.
  • E.g., – The guidelines by the Election Commission of India require that a maximum of two panel discussions are also aired by Akashvani and DD.
  • These discussions provide an excellent platform for parties, both big and small, to debate and criticise each other’s policies and manifestos, and in general promote an informed citizenry.

Legal basis of this scheme

• Representation of People Act, 1951
  • The facility to provide free airtime for political parties during elections was given statutory basis through the 2003 amendment to the Representation of People Act, 1951.
    • The act governs the conduct of elections in India and lays down various provisions to ensure fairness and equality among political parties.
• Institution involved
  • The Election Commission of India (ECI), is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
  • The ECI, in its capacity, has issued guidelines and instructions that provide a framework for the allocation of free airtime to political parties on public broadcasters during the campaign period.
  • These guidelines and instructions outline the criteria for determining the eligibility and allocation of free airtime to political parties.
  • Factors such as past electoral performance, representation in the legislature, and the number of candidates fielded by the party are considered to ensure equitable distribution of airtime.

Working of the scheme

• Distribution of time vouchers
  • Time vouchers are distributed by a lottery system by the Election Commission in a transparent process to obviate any preferential treatment in getting primetime slots.
• Scrutiny of transcripts of political parties
  • The transcripts of political parties are vetted to ensure that they adhere to relevant codes.
  • These codes proscribe any content which are inter alia critical of other countries, attack religions or other communities or incites violence and personal attacks.
• Role of Apex Committee
  • In case of any disagreements over the content of the script as vetted by the public broadcaster, it is referred to an Apex Committee.
  • The committee comprises of members from Akashvani and DD. The decision of the committee is final.

Operational challenges

• Scheme is available to national and recognised State parties
  • The scheme is available to national and recognised State parties. Hence, many analysts argue that it is not truly equitable.
  • In light of the recent retraction of the national party status for the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), this observation becomes important.
• Conflict of interest in apex committee
  • The Apex Committee comprises officials from Akashvani and DD.
  • They are expected to sit in review of their own decision in case of conflict with the political party on the content of the transcript which leaves scope for conflicts of interest.

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Q1) What are airwaves?

Airwaves, in the context of telecommunications and radio communication, refer to the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is used for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. The electromagnetic spectrum encompasses a wide range of frequencies and wavelengths, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.

Q2) What is Akashvani?

Akashvani is a term used in India to refer to All India Radio (AIR), the national public radio broadcaster. The word “Akashvani” is derived from Sanskrit, where “Akash” means “sky” or “ether,” and “vani” means “voice” or “message.” It translates to “voice from the sky” or “voice of the ether.” Akashvani, or All India Radio, is one of the largest radio networks in the world. It was established in 1930 and has been a vital source of information, entertainment, and cultural programs for the Indian population. The radio service is operated by Prasar Bharati, a statutory autonomous body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India.

Source: Explained | Elections and the airwaves