The Model Code of Conduct starts the day the Election Commission announces the election schedule. For bulk SMS and voice calls, three things matter most: political advertisements on electronic media may need pre-certification, bulk SMS and voice messages are barred in the 48 hours before polling ends, and every message must go through a registered sender and approved template. Check the Commission's order for your election.
By Rohit Jadhav. Last reviewed 25 October 2026. This is operational guidance, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements for your election and your case.
Campaign teams ask the same question every cycle: what are the election campaign messaging rules, and what happens if we get one wrong? This guide is the starting point for the whole topic. It covers when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) applies, how it meets telecom rules, what the Election Commission's certification and silence-period rules mean for SMS and voice calls, and where each of our deeper guides fits. If you want a team to run the sending side within these rules, see our election campaign services. Every guide in the series is collected under Election Campaigns.
When does the Model Code of Conduct apply?
It applies from the moment the Election Commission of India announces the election schedule. The Commission's own announcement for the 2024 general elections says the code "comes into effect immediately from the announcement of schedule" (Press Information Bureau, 16 March 2024). The code is a set of guidelines for parties and candidates, built on the principle of a level playing field.
Two practical points. First, it applies to the areas going to the polls, so a neighbouring district may be outside it. Second, elections for local bodies, cooperative societies and professional bodies have their own authorities and their own rules. We cover those in separate guides, linked below. Before the announcement there is no code, but telecom and data rules still apply. See pre-campaign messaging before an election.
How do telecom rules apply to campaign SMS and voice calls?
They apply alongside the code, not instead of it. Under TRAI's Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018, commercial messages must go through registered senders, registered headers and registered content templates, with opt-outs honoured. Our guide to DLT registration for political party sender IDs walks through the setup.
One honest caution. The regulation defines commercial communication as a message that advertises goods, services or a business opportunity, and the text does not name political messages. How a party's SMS is classified is therefore decided in practice by the operators that review templates. TRAI said in September 2025 that it does not approve or reject individual SMS campaigns (as reported by MediaNama). Register early, and keep your templates plain and factual.
Does a campaign SMS need pre-certification?
Possibly. The Election Commission has directed parties and candidates to get political advertisements on electronic media pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) before they are released. Its FAQ confirms this for social media, since social media websites are electronic media (ECI FAQ on social media). A March 2026 report from All India Radio says the Commission's order for the 2026 assembly elections extended pre-certification to bulk SMS and voice messages, with candidates applying to the district committee and state-level parties to the state committee (newsonair.gov.in).
We have not found the Commission's own text of that order, and orders are issued election by election. So treat this as a question to settle on the day the schedule is announced: ask the District Election Officer's office whether your SMS and voice scripts need certification, how long it takes and what to submit. Build the approval time into your calendar.
What is the 48-hour silence period?
It is the final 48 hours before polling closes in a polling area. Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 bars displaying election matter in that window by cinematograph, television or similar apparatus (the provision appears in the Commission's press note of 2 April 2024). The Commission has said that bulk SMS and voice messages fall within the restriction. Reports on the October 2025 Bihar elections quote a Commission note that prohibits "bulk SMS/voice messages" in this period (The Tribune).
Plan the end of your campaign around it. Our guide to the 48-hour silence period explains what stops and what does not, and the compliance checklist and election compliance basics turn the rules into steps.
Can a campaign use WhatsApp?
Not through the WhatsApp Business Platform. Meta's WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, last updated 23 September 2026, prohibits use of the platform by political parties, politicians, political candidates and political campaigns (policy page). We explain what the policy covers, and what it leaves open, in WhatsApp and political campaigns. We have updated this guide, which earlier recommended bulk WhatsApp for campaigns, to reflect it. Plan your outreach around SMS and voice.
What does it cost, and how do you choose a provider?
Cost depends on the number of messages, the language, whether you use SMS, voice or both, and how much approval and reporting work is involved. Our guides to the cost of an election SMS campaign and election campaign messaging budgets explain the factors. To compare vendors, see how to choose a bulk messaging vendor for election campaigns, and for channel choice read SMS, WhatsApp and voice calls for voter outreach, keeping the WhatsApp policy in mind. Voice has its own guide in bulk voice calls for political campaigns.
How do you plan voter outreach and handle voter data?
Start with where your phone numbers came from. An electoral roll is not a phone-number database, so every number has a source, and you need to be able to explain it. Read sending SMS to a voter list before you load a single file. Then divide the constituency into booths, as described in booth-level voter outreach, and send in the language each group uses. Our guide on multilingual campaign messaging covers regional languages.
Voice can also work in the other direction. An inbound line lets voters ask questions, as in the guide to an IVR voter helpline, and surveys need their own care, which we describe in election survey company: what to check before you hire. To keep records straight across workers, see election campaign CRM. Do not segment voters by religion, caste or similar traits. We do not recommend it, and it creates legal and reputational risk.
Where do the 2027 state elections fit?
Assembly terms in several states end in 2027, and the Commission announces the schedule for each. Our guide to the 2027 state assembly elections lists the states, seats and electors, and the delimitation guide explains how boundary changes can affect planning. State-level campaign guides:
- Uttar Pradesh election 2027 campaign messaging
- Punjab election 2027 campaign messaging
- Uttarakhand election 2027 campaign messaging
- Goa election 2027 campaign messaging
- Manipur election 2027 campaign messaging
- Himachal Pradesh election 2027 campaign messaging
- Gujarat election 2027 campaign messaging
What about local body, cooperative and professional body elections?
They are run by other authorities, under other rules, so do not carry assembly-election assumptions over. See Maharashtra local body election campaigns, cooperative election campaigns and bar council election campaigns.
A campaign messaging checklist
- Register the sender, sender ID and templates before the schedule is announced.
- Clean your contact file and record where each number came from.
- On announcement day, ask the District Election Officer's office about pre-certification and how long it takes.
- Submit scripts for certification where required, and keep the approved versions.
- Plan messages by booth and language, in a calendar built backwards from polling day.
- Stop all bulk SMS and voice messages when the 48-hour period begins.
- Honour opt-outs on every send, and keep a log of what was sent, when and to whom.
- Keep a correction process: if a message is wrong, stop the campaign, fix it and record what happened.
A worked example (hypothetical)
A candidate's campaign office for an assembly seat has registered its sender and templates two months before the likely schedule. This is an invented example. On announcement day the office calls the District Election Officer's office, learns that its voice script and SMS wording need certification, and submits both the same afternoon. While waiting, it divides 40,000 contacts by booth and language. Certified messages go out in three phases, and the final send is scheduled well before the 48-hour period begins. In the last two days the office switches to door-to-door work and keeps its panel idle.
Common mistakes in election messaging
- Waiting for the announcement to register senders. Registration takes time.
- Assuming an old order still applies. Orders are issued election by election.
- Skipping certification questions. Ask on day one and get the answer in writing.
- Messaging in the silence period. Stop when it starts.
- Using bought number lists. You cannot show consent.
- Relying on WhatsApp Business broadcasts. The platform's policy prohibits political campaigns.
- Segmenting by religion or caste. Do not.
- No correction process. A wrong message needs a way to be stopped and fixed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Model Code of Conduct for SMS and voice campaigns?
It is the Election Commission's set of guidelines that comes into effect when the schedule is announced. For SMS and voice, it works alongside telecom rules, certification instructions and the 48-hour silence period. Read the Commission's order for your election for the exact requirements.
Do political SMS need approval before sending?
Telecom rules require a registered sender and approved templates. The Commission may also require pre-certification by the district or state MCMC for political advertisements on electronic media, and a March 2026 report says its order for that round of elections included bulk SMS and voice. Ask the election office in your district.
Can parties send bulk SMS in the last 48 hours before voting?
No. The Commission has said bulk SMS and voice messages are barred in the 48 hours before polling closes in the polling area. Plan your last send before that period starts, and confirm the exact hours for your constituency.
Can candidates use WhatsApp Business API for campaigns?
Meta's policy, last updated 23 September 2026, prohibits use of the WhatsApp Business Platform by political parties, politicians, candidates and campaigns. Check the current policy before you plan around it, and read our guide on what it does and does not cover.
Where should a campaign get phone numbers from?
From sources it can explain, such as membership forms, event sign-ins and helpline callers, with a record of when and how each was collected. An electoral roll is not a phone-number database. Avoid purchased lists.
Are the rules the same for local body or cooperative elections?
No. Those elections are run by other authorities with their own rules. Check the notices of the authority for your election, and see our guides on local body, cooperative and bar council campaigns.
Sources checked
All checked on 25 October 2026.
- Press Information Bureau: Announcement of schedule for general elections 2024 (16 March 2024) (code of conduct takes effect on announcement)
- Election Commission of India, FAQ on social media (pre-certification for social media)
- Election Commission of India press note ECI/PN/38/2024 (2 April 2024) (Section 126 text)
- All India Radio News: EC mandates pre-certification of political ads (21 March 2026) (news report; the Commission's own order was not found)
- The Tribune: Bihar polls, bulk SMS and voice messages during silence period (October 2025) (news report of an Election Commission note)
- TRAI, consolidated Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (registered senders, templates, definitions)
- MediaNama: TRAI on SMS template rejection (September 2025) (news report)
- Meta, WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (last updated 23 September 2026) (Policy on Government and Political Use)
If you are planning messages for an upcoming election and want to talk through registration, certification and timing, you can reach our team through the contact page.