Television channels could lose around Rs 75 crore (Rs 750 million) with the Election Commission pulling the plugs on electoral campaigning on the electronic media.

Leading broadcasters, including Zee Telefilms, Sun and Eenadu, were in advance stages of negotiations with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress for rates and spots.

Ad money

Leading broadcasters, including Zee Telefilms, Sun and Eenadu, were in advance stages of negotiations with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress for rates and spots The Indian Broadcasting Foundation has called an urgent meeting of its members to work out a strategy after the EC directive The meeting could result in IBF moving the government as well as the EC to allow poll advertisements on television channels In the last elections, some of the channels got a stay on the ban on political advertisements. Some more channels may be taking this step this year

Sensing the urgency of the situation, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation has called an urgent meeting of its members to work out a strategy after the EC directive.

The meeting could result in IBF moving the government as well as the EC to allow poll advertisements on television channels.

Source also said some channels were likely to seek legal recourse. "In the last elections, some of the channels got a stay on the ban on political advertisements. Some more channels will be taking this step," said a broadcasting industry source.

Meanwhile, political parties that have chalked out aggressive poll campaigns for the electronic media are revisiting their strategies.

"We had anticipated such a directive from the EC and had our back-up plans ready," said All-India Congress Committee member Jairam Ramesh. According to Ramesh, the party's campaign will be restricted to the print medium.

A few days back Ramesh had told Business Standard that the party had for the first time planned to use TV and radio advertising aggressively, considering its greater reach in urban and semi-urban areas.

According to ad industry sources, the Congress had an ad budget of nearly Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) to take on the government's "India Shining" campaign.

Now a big chunk of its budget for the electronic media will be diverted to print advertising.

But according to an adman working on the BJP campaign, the parties are waiting for further clarity on the issue. "There doubts over the government's control on ads shown on channels that are not uplinked from India," he said.

"Political parties will start running their media campaigns only from the April 1, because the polling has been staggered. Within a month there will be more clarity on the issue of advertising in TV and radio," he added.

On its part, the government on Monday came out in defence of its stand and said that it would have been difficult to monitor more than 100 cable and satellite channels, 30,000 cable operators and a large number of local channels in local towns and various cities so as to ensure that these political advertisements remain within the rule book.

The government also said that the rule 7(3) of the Cable TV Network Rule,1995 and All India Radio programme code (applicable to FM Channels) do not permit political advertisements by political parties.