India, Oct. 12 -- For the first time, social media influencers feature in rules governing election campaign content, as the powerful role of online platforms in shaping public opinion - and potentially distorting it - figures prominently in rules announced by the Maharashtra Election Commission on October 9. Candidates and political parties will now have to get all campaign-related content vetted before posting it online.

The new rules, titled "Order on Regulation of Media and Certification of Advertisements for Election Purposes, 2025", have been announced ahead of local body polls in the state.

Apart from closely monitoring social media, the state election commission will also track offline content. It has prohibited the use of images...