NaMo TV disappears from tv sets as Lok Sabha election ends

Guwahati, May 21, 2019:

NaMo TV, the highly controversial BJP-backed television channel meant for publicising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies and political messages, was pulled off air two days before the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 23.

NaMo TV, which was a campaign tool for the BJP, was no longer needed after the Lok Sabha elections got over. Thus, it was taken off air as soon as campaigning ended on May 17.

The television channel has been in controversies ever since it first made an appearance on television on March 31. It was even mentioned in a tweet against the Election Commission by Congress president Rahul Gandhi recently.

Opposition parties have objected to the channel on the grounds on the grounds that such a campaigning channel is a direct violation of the Election Commission's Model Code of Conduct. The Prime Minister had also tweeted out an image advertising it as a medium to access his "exciting" election campaign and "a lot more fascinating content", to which opposition parties had expressed their opposition.

Many DTH service providers, including Tata Sky, Videocon and Dish TV, aired the channel free of cost.

Although the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry insisted that NaMo TV does not require any approval because it is only an "advertisement platform", the Election Commission ruled on April 12 that the channel cannot screen any political content without the prior approval of its Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.

The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer had also sent a notice to the BJP for airing election-related content on NaMo TV during the 'silence period' ahead of voting in the capital on May 12.

The Election Commission had also stalled the release of 'PM Narendra Modi', a biopic on the Prime Minister with actor Vivek Oberoi as its lead, on the grounds that it could influence voters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. It will now hit the screens on May 24, a day after the results are declared.

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