It may be recalled that the Apex Court in its ruling last month made it mandatory for candidates desirous of contesting elections to declare their criminal records to the Election Commission in bold and Political Parties too were under obligation to the task of making this information public on their websites.
Accordingly, the Election Commission has now made it compulsory for candidates contesting polls to advertise their criminal antecedents in TV and newspapers at least three times during electioneering. Complying with the directives of the Supreme Court, political parties too shall have to give proper publicity to the criminal records of the candidates fielded by them. This is precisely the establishing of the right of the voter to know all about the candidates it was going to vote for.
Since elections to States like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh , Mizoram and Telangana are going to be held in the month of November – December, candidates and parties contesting the elections have to make at least three times on different dates such declaration through widely circulated newspapers and popular TV Channels after nomination papers were filed during campaign period. Further, candidates who do not have records shall have to mention explicitly about that and fill up an amended form No.26. Whether cases are pending against them or they are convicted shall accordingly have to be declared by the candidates, This all information, in turn has got to be duly uploaded by the political parties on their websites.
It can be deduced that even if the Supreme Court did not give a ruling about total disqualification of a candidate, convicted or having a criminal case pending in a court, did it the other way by providing for the entire information about the criminal records of a contesting candidate in order to enlighten and “caution” the voter about such a candidate contesting election. In other words, it is left to the discretion of the voter to reject candidates with a taint or having criminal antecedents. Parties which fail to comply face the prospects of getting their recognition withdrawn or suspended. It is hoped that it would go a long way in curbing criminalisation of polity.
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