New Delhi : The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday clarified that it did not reject Congress’s application to send SMS messages to party workers in Maharashtra concerning a campaign for the state’s 2024 elections.
TRAI emphasized that it has no authority to approve or reject individual SMS campaigns. Instead, telecom service providers (TSPs) handle such approvals under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018.
In an official statement, TRAI said it had “noted certain media reports alleging that TRAI rejected the application of a political party for sending SMS to its workers in Maharashtra.” The regulator categorically denied any involvement in the acceptance or rejection of such campaigns.
“No application was received by TRAI for sending SMS to a political party’s Maharashtra cadre. TRAI doesn’t approve individual SMS templates,” the statement read.
The authority clarified that the rejection came from the service provider and not TRAI, reiterating that it was “at no stage involved in this process.”
Earlier, Congress had alleged that TRAI blocked its SMS updates regarding a documentary claiming that the Maharashtra 2024 elections were “stolen.” Party leaders had shared screenshots showing the messages were marked as “protest content.”
Reacting to the alleged rejection, Congress leaders accused the government of censorship. Data analytics chief Praveen Chakravarty said the episode reflected “perfect synchronisation between the home ministry, EC and telecom regulator to suppress information.” MP Manickam Tagore claimed TRAI was acting as the “IT cell of BJP,” while party chief Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Election Commission of stonewalling key information.
TRAI’s statement clarifies that the decision to block the messages was made by the telecom service provider STPL, not the regulatory body.
This clarification removes ambiguity over TRAI’s role in regulating political messaging via SMS ahead of the upcoming state elections.
Also Read : India-made chips telecom system gets TEC certification
