The Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur between February 10 and March 7 and the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.
Addressing a press conference here to announce the Lok Sabha poll schedule, Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath said paid news has three aspects -- print media, electronic media and expenditure by candidates.
The Election Commission today sought media's active cooperation in checking the menace of paid news, saying it is equal to muscle and money power. "Paid news is a matter of concern for us.