// ELECTIONS IMMEDIATE //

GREATER VISAKHAPATNAM MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

& O/o. NODAL OFFICER, MCC
From To
C.M. Saikanth Varma, IAS., All The Returning Officers,
Commissioner, VISAKHAPATNAM.
Greater Visakhapatnam
Municipal Corporation
& Nodal Officer, MCC
VISAKHAPATNAM

Roc. No. – MCC Complaints / VSP / Dated 26-4-2024

Sir,
Sub: General Elections-2024 – Enforcement of MCC - Adverse News Item
published in Andhra Jyothi Visakhapatnam District Edition
Dt. 26.4.2024 with an item that “అన్ని హోర్ డింగ్స్ వై.సి.పి. కేనా?”
– Certain Instructions issued - Request to submit report – Reg.
Ref: (1) Letter Roc No. – 437/6/Inst/ECI/FUNCT/MCC/2004 Adv of ECI,
Dt. 02.01.24
(2) Proceedings Roc No.- 3535/2024/D2/GVMC, Dt. 16.3.2024 of the
Commissioner, GVMC and Nodal Officer, MCC.
(3) Instructions on 22.3.2024 through WhatsApp in MCC GE-2024 group
to all ROs.
(4) Letter Roc No. 6721/2006/TP Sec./G1/ Dt. 22.3.24 of Commissioner,
GVMC, Visakhapatnam to all advertisement agencies.
(5) Memo. No. 2150/Elcs, A2/2024-3, Dt. 16/4/24 of CEO and EO.
Principal Secretary to Govt., Velagapudi, Amaravathi.
(6) Adverse News Item in Andhra Jyothi Visakhapatnam District Edition,
Dt 26.4.2024
(7) Proceedings Roc No. 3535/2024/D2/GVMC, Dt. 26.3.2024 of the
Commissioner, GVMC and Nodal Officer, MCC.

***
An adverse news item was published in Andhra Jyothi, Visakhapatnam District
on 26.4.2024 with a caption that “అన్ని హోర్ డింగ్స్ వై.సి.పి. కేనా?”. Wherein it was
published that in Visakhapatnam City and National Highway, main hoardings are with
“Memanthaa Siddham” of Hon’ble Chief Minister & YCP Leader Sri. Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The private and public places should be equally allotted to all, but in Visakhapatnam
no such situation and in all such hoardings were given to YSRCP for publicity. The other parties
were not given any opportunity.
 In this regard, it is to inform that in the reference 1st cited, all Returning Officers
were already instructed on publication of advertisements during the period of enforcement
of MCC duly reiterating the instructions of ECI that the hoardings in their jurisdiction should
be given to all political parties with an equal opportunity to have access to advertisement
spaces for election related advertisements and the instructions are as follows.
(i) If the local law expressly permits or provides for writing of slogans, displaying
posters, etc. or erecting cutouts, hoardings, banners, political advertisements
etc. in any public place (as against a government premises) on payment or
otherwise, this may be allowed strictly in accordance with the relevant
provisions of the law and subject to Court Orders, if any on this subject.
It should be ensured that any such place is not dominated / monopolized by
any particular party (ies) or candidate (s). All parties and candidates should be
provided equal opportunity in this regard.
(ii) If there is a specifically earmarked place provided for displaying
advertisements in a public place, e.g., bill boards, hoardings etc. and if such
space is already let out to any agency for further allocation to individual clients,
the District Election Officer through the municipal authority concerned, if any,
should ensure that all political parties and candidates get equitable
opportunity to have access to such advertisement space for election related
advertisements during the election period.

In the reference 4th cited all the all Advertisement Agencies were also
instructed that all the political hoardings which are contains political slogans, candidates
photos, colours are not permitted to erect without permission from the Returning Officers of
the respective Constituency and the list of advertisement agencies in GVMC limits were
provided to all the Returning Officers in the reference 3rd cited.

Further, all the Returning Officers of the respective constituencies are hereby
informed that a Help Desk has been created in GVMC Main Office as an additional opportunity
to receive the applications from the political parties for those who seek permission for
erection of hoardings in addition to submitting the application at the concerned Returning
Officer and they should forward the application if any received from the political parties to
the concerned Returning Officer for proper scrutiny and approval as per ECI Guidelines.
The Returning Officers are requested to inform all the political parties to avail this facility as
well, during the next political parties meeting.

Details of Help Desk : SPANDANA CELL, GVMC MAIN OFFICE, ASEELMETTA JUNCTION,
CONTACT NUMBER : 73960 45405.
 In view of the above, for strict implementation of Model Code of Conduct and
to avoid adverse news items in this regard, all the Returning Officers are instructed to follow
the above instructions scrupulously by giving equal opportunity to have access to such
advertisement space for election related advertisements to all the political parties
and candidates during the election period and submit the details in the following proforma
within 24 hours.
PROFORMA (MCC R-6) :
Number and Name of the Constituency : _________________________________
No. of Hoardings available in the Constituency
Jurisdiction as per the list given by GVMC : _________________________________
Applications
No. of No. of No. of
received for
Sl. Hoardings Hoardings hoardings
Name of the Political Party Erection of
No. permission permission permission
hoardings
accorded rejected pending
(from 16.3.2024)
1 AAM ADMI PARTY
2 BHARATIYA JANATHA PARTY
3 BAHUJAN SAMAJ PARTY
4 CPI (M)
5 INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
6 NATIONAL PRAJA PARTY
7 YSRCP
8 TELUGU DESAM PARTY
9 JANASENA PARTY
10 OTHERS

Yours faithfully,

COMMISSIONER &
NODAL OFFICER, MCC.