EC seeks criminal cases of nominees on party sites

NEW DELHI: With Gujarat going to polls in December, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has come up with specific measures that are likely to embarrass political parties if they cannot avoid fielding candidates with criminal charges. This time, the parties will have to justify why they chose candidates with criminal backgrounds on the their websites.
The commission has made it mandatory for all such candidates to publish information about their alleged crimes in mass media thrice during the campaign period. It has mandated the same exercise for the political parties. The candidate’s criminal background must be uploaded on the party’s website and broadcast thrice through newspapers and television channels. Besides publishing complete details about pending criminal cases and their status in courts, the parties must state “the reasons for such selection, and why others without criminal antecedents could not be selected. The reasons for selection shall be regarding the qualifications, achievements and merit of the candidate concerned, and not mere ‘winnability’ at the polls”.
The commission has stated that it has made candidates and political parties accountable based on a Supreme Court order. In case of default, the apex court will be informed about non-compliance by candidates and parties regarding the publication of criminal cases. They will also have to give an account of the expenditure incurred for publication.