Executive Dossier
EC likely to speed up screening of political ads
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission (EC) is likely to reduce the duration for clearing political advertisements, meant for TV channels, from the proposed 10 days to about a week’s time.
This is likely to be conveyed to the Supreme Court on Thursday when a government-initiated case on political advertising on the electronic medium comes up for hearing again.
In a related development, the government has opined informally that it would not be prudent to promulgate an Ordinance, as had been reported in a section of the Press today, to empower the EC to ban all sorts of opinion and exit polls.
The government’s thinking is based on the fact that promulgation of an ordinance to empower the EC might not go down too well with the apex court at a time when the SC is hearing a case on related issues like advertising.
However, legal experts point out such a scenario is possible if the EC petitions Supreme Court on the issue of exit and opinion polls on the ground that it does have adequate power to take action in this regard and the court, in turn, gives a directive to the government.
Yesterday, at an all-party meet called by the EC, the political consensus on opinion polls was to clamp down on such activities, while allowing exit polls only after a certain period of time.
Meanwhile, tomorrow the Commission would also apprise the apex court on its preparedness on monitoring political advertising on the electronic medium and the mechanism that is likely to be adopted.
Though even a proposed seven-day clearance period may leave political parties with too little a time before campaigning for the first phase of polls come to an end on 18 April (actual polling takes places on 20 April), something would still be better than none, a senior political leader with a national party pointed out.
MUMBAI: Game faces on, pressure high India’s gaming ambitions are levelling up. Good Game, billed as the world’s first as-live global gaming reality show, has officially launched in India with a bold mission: to crown the country’s first Global Gaming Superstar.
Blending esports with mainstream entertainment, the show brings together competitive gaming, creativity and on-camera performance in a format that tests more than just joystick skills. Contestants will be judged on gameplay, screen presence and their ability to perform under pressure, reflecting how gaming has evolved from pastime to profession and pop culture currency.
Fronting the show are three high-profile ambassadors: actor and entrepreneur Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant, and gaming creator Ujjwal Chaurasia. The winner will take home Rs 1 crore ($100,000) among the largest prize pools for any Indian reality show along with the chance to represent India on a global stage.
Backed by a planned annual investment of up to Rs 100 crore, Good Game is also courting brand partners, promising a minimum reach of 500 million among India’s core youth audience. The creators position the show as a bridge between entertainment and interactive culture, offering long-format content, community engagement and commercial scale.
Auditions are now open to Indian citizens aged 18 and above, inviting amateur and professional gamers, creators and performers alike. Shortlisted candidates will be called for in-person auditions in Mumbai on 14 and 15 February, and in Delhi on 28 February and 1 March 2026.
With big money, big names and even bigger ambition, Good Game signals a shift in how India views gaming not just as play, but as performance, profession and prime-time spectacle.
