A pre-launch checklist for election digital communication — DLT registration, sender ID and template approval, MCMC/ECI pre-certification, consent, and silence-period planning.
Before You Launch
Most launch delays in election digital communication come from skipped setup steps — a missing DLT registration, an unapproved template, an MCMC/ECI pre-certification left until the last minute. This checklist covers the groundwork to complete before any campaign message is scheduled.
Register as a Principal Entity on the DLT platform and get a sender ID approved — this is the foundational step every SMS and voice campaign depends on, and it should be started weeks before the first planned send, since registration and template approval both take lead time.
The Checklist
Registration & Approvals
Register the campaign or party entity on the DLT platform — required before any sender ID or template can be approved.
Get your registered header/sender ID approved under the current TSP/DLT format (up to 11 alphanumeric characters) for SMS and voice campaigns to display consistently to recipients.
Submit exact SMS, voice, and IVR script content for DLT template approval — live messages must match the approved template exactly.
WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy prohibits political parties, politicians, candidates, and campaigns from using the WhatsApp Business Platform — don't plan template submission or budget around it. See our WhatsApp policy explainer for compliant alternatives.
Confirm MCMC/ECI pre-certification for bulk SMS/voice campaign content — this is separate from, and in addition to, DLT template approval. See our compliance guide for the full requirement.
Data & Scheduling
Confirm the source and consent status of every contact list before it's used for promotional messaging, per TRAI's consent framework.
Tag contact data by booth and zone so campaign messages, agent coordination, and reporting can all be targeted precisely.
Mark the Election Commission's 48-hour silence period — ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of polling — on the campaign calendar and schedule the last promotional send to clear it comfortably.
Confirm the team has access to real-time delivery and call reporting before launch, so issues can be caught and fixed mid-campaign, not after it ends.
A Note on Compliance
DLT registration, sender ID approval, and template approval all take working days to process — treat this checklist as a pre-launch sequence to start weeks ahead of a campaign's first planned send, not a same-day task list.
See the Election Campaign Communication hub for the fuller compliance picture, or our DLT registration support page for help with steps 1-3.
Common Questions
A registered Principal Entity on the DLT platform, an approved sender ID, and at least one approved message template. Without all three, telecom operators will block the message before it reaches any voter.
Principal Entity registration usually takes a few working days, and template approval can range from same-day to a few days depending on the operator and template complexity. Campaigns should build this lead time into their launch schedule rather than assume same-day approval.
No. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy prohibits political parties, politicians, candidates, and campaigns from using the WhatsApp Business Platform, so it shouldn't be planned for or budgeted as part of an election campaign's digital setup. See our WhatsApp policy explainer for compliant alternatives.
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