On Tuesday, as over 18 crore Indians go to polls in over 2 lakh booths across 117 constituencies spread over 14 states and Union territories in phase 3 of Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has been running 600 ads on Facebook targeted at those voting today.

This not only amounts to a direct violation of the mandatory 48-hour ‘silence period’according to section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, but also illustrates the toothless nature of the “Code of Ethics” that social media platforms like Facebook and the Election commission had announced on 20 March.

The 600 active ads – all running as video GIFs – consist of a variety of election manifesto promises from the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), fighting terrorism, to increasing jobs, access to drinking water, and pipe gas connections among others.

According to Facebook’s weekly political ads report, the BJP was the highest spender on election ads last week, having spent Rs 44 lakh between 14 and 20 April.

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