ECI mandates candidates to publish criminal antecedent in media

CHENNAI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has mandated candidates contesting in polls for Lok Sabha and State Assembly to publish their criminal antecedents in newspapers and televisions.

Citing the Supreme Court order in this regard, the ECI has issued the direction. Candidates at elections to Houses of Parliament or Houses of State Legislatures, who have criminal cases against them, either pending cases or cases of conviction in the past, should give declaration for wide publicity in the newspapers and TV Channels. It should be published at least on three different days from the day following the last date for withdrawal of candidatures and upto 48 hours before ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll, Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu said in a release on Tuesday.

The political parties should also follow the same procedure and widely publish the criminal antecedents of the candidates filed by them, he further said.

In yet another release, the TN's CEO directed the political parties to share the list of leaders, who are going for campaigns in Erode East Constituency, to get exemption from the expenditure incurred for their travel.

Recognised and unrecognised parties can give a list of 20 and 10 leaders respectively for the same as per the provisions of the Representative of the People's Act 1951. The details should be shared on or before February 7.