DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Chief Electoral Officer, Haryana= Pankaj Agarwal said that, according to the directives of the Election Commission of India, candidates contesting the State Assembly elections and political parties must publish the criminal antecedents. Besides this, such information should also be available on their official websites.

He said that candidates with criminal antecedents are required to publish information in this regard in newspapers and through television channels on three occasions during the campaign period. Political party that sets up candidates with criminal antecedents are also required to publish information about criminal background of its candidates, both on its website and also in newspapers and television channels on three occasions.

This information shall also be published in one local vernacular newspaper and one national newspaper; on the official social media platforms of the political party, including Facebook & Twitter.

He said that it is mandatory for political parties to upload on their website detailed information regarding individuals with pending criminal cases, who have been selected as candidates, along with the reasons for such selection, as also as to why other individuals without criminal antecedents could not be selected as candidates.

The reasons as to selection shall be with reference to the qualifications, achievements and merit of the candidate concerned, and not mere "winnability" at the polls.

These details shall be published within 48 hours of the selection of the candidate. The political party concerned shall then submit a report of compliance with these directions with the Election Commission within 72 hours of the selection of the said candidate.

If a political party fails to submit such compliance report with the Election Commission, the Election Commission shall bring such non-compliance by the political Party concerned to the notice of the Supreme Court as being in contempt of this Court's orders/directions, said Sh. Pankaj Agarwal.

Pankaj Agarwal said that the political parties are to publish information regarding criminal antecedents of candidates on the homepage of their websites, thus making it easier for the voter to get to the information that has to be supplied. It will also become necessary now to have on the homepage a caption which "candidates with criminal antecedents".
(editor@dailyworld.in)