Candidates with criminal records will to have to declare their criminal charges in newspapers, the Election Commission of India has said.
the Election Commission of India has asked candidates to declare details of their criminal charges and status of these cases in three widely-read newspapers, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar announced at a press conference on Friday evening.
Newspapers must then submit such declarations to the election office within 30 days of completion of the election process.
Failure to make such declarations could lead to cancellation of election results.
The measure, primarily aimed at helping voters make informed choices, is not limited to candidates alone—political parties also have to declare in newspapers and to the election commission names of candidates with a criminal record, details of the alleged crimes and the current status of the cases.
Besides having such details submitted to three print publications, candidates must also to give advertisements in local television channels anytime between the last day of filing of their nomination and two days before actual polling.
The declaration should be made “in a specified format has to be given in a widely printed newspaper and should not be smaller than 12 point size”, Kumar said.
Expenses for such declarations would be counted as election expenditure.
‘Alarming speeches’
Kumar said tone of election speeches were becoming increasingly alarming, with several politicians being accused of using “vulgar language” or threatening opponents.
The election office issued a notice to Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s nephew Harish Rao on Friday for allegedly threatening a political opponent.
Meanwhile, seizure of cash and liquor has gone up as elections draw close. Police and excise department has so far seized Rs 64.36 crore in cash and about 2.18 lakh bottles of liquor estimated around Rs 5.16 crore.
“Although seizure of cash and liquor in Telangana is alarming, the incidents are now under control,” he said, adding that the Director General of Telangana Police will be asked to evaluate the situation booth-wise after assembly elections are notified on November 12.
There are some 32,575 booths in the state, and another 217 are likely to be added. Of these, some 10,000 booths have been marked “critical” because they are sensitive for various reasons, including political tension and being in Maoist areas.
Telangana is scheduled to vote for Assembly elections on December 7.
