The Vulnerability of the Silent Period: Analysing Ad Violations During the 2024 Election
The assault on the "silence period" in India's 2024 election cycle did not simply test the robustness of the Model Code of Conduct; it laid bare the fundamental inadequacy of an analogue regulatory framework in the face of digital campaigning. The 48 hours preceding the conclusion of polling—what the Representation of the People Act, 1951, designates as the 'silence period'—has a particular purpose. It is intended to give voters a breathing space, a moment to reflect without the din of political messaging, to make their choice freely, without the last-minute influence of rallies, advertisements, or even the distribution of alcohol. It is a moment of quiet, one might suppose, in the tumultuous theatre of Indian elections . Yet, the 2024 general election, and its subsequent state-level sequels in Jharkhand and Maharashtra, demonstrated that this period has become a primary vector for the erosion of electoral norms. The digital arena, in particular, was not merely...