ECI tells political parties to publish details of candidates' criminal history

Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed all the political parties to publish the details of the candidates who have criminal antecedents in print and electronic media thrice before the polls.

According to a notification by the ECI, the candidates and political parties will have to publish the details of contestants' criminal antecedents in newspapers and on television on three

occasions.

The first publication of such criminal antecedents should be within the first four days of the last date of withdrawal of nominations.

The second publicity should has to be within five to eight days of the last date of withdrawal of nominations while the third publicity should be from the ninth day till the last day of campaigning, which happens two days before voting day.

An official in the Commission said that publication of such details of the criminal antecedents of the candidates is mandatory as the Supreme Court had directed in February this year about the matter. It was implemented

during the Bihar Assembly polls.

The candidates who contest the polls have to declare their antecedents in their affidavit but the common people don't have the opportunity to check the same. The Commission believes that all the electorates should also be well aware of the details of the candidates and so it should get published in the print and electronic media as well.

"This step has ensured good results in the Bihar Assembly polls so far as the transparency of the election is concerned. The same will be strictly implemented in the forthcoming state assembly elections this year," a commission official said.