By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Political parties in the state have welcomed the recent order of the Supreme Court asking that political parties publish the criminal history of their candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections along with the reasons for fielding them.
Hailing the order, Congress leader Ampareen Lyngdoh said that it is the right step to purge the legislature of criminals and ensure that democracy remains insulated.
“It also debates on other aspects of political mudslinging which serves as a plausible advisory in a dynamic democracy such as India’s,” she said.
Echoing similar views, the BJP in-charge of Meghalaya, Nalin Kohli, said that the directive would strengthen the electoral and democratic process and enable voters to make a choice keeping all factors in mind.
The senior leader of the United Democratic Party, Allantry Dkhar, said that the party never entertains any candidate who has criminal antecedents.
“We welcome the move and we were waiting for it for long,” Dkhar said.
NPP state president WR Kharlukhi too said that he was very happy with the order as it is necessary that candidates declare their antecedents before contesting elections.
“The antecedents of the candidates should be checked right from the time he or she started his or her political career,” he said.
As per the Supreme Court directive, the information should be published in a local as well as a national newspaper as well as the parties’ social media handles.
It should mandatorily be published either within 48 hours of the selection of candidates or less than two weeks before the date for filing of nominations, whichever is earlier.
The court ordered political parties to submit compliance reports with the Election Commission of India within 72 hours or risk contempt of court action.
The court’s directive comes at a time when the country is witnessing unimpeded rise of criminals, often facing heinous charges like rape and murder, encroaching the political and electoral scenes.