nAs per a new directive of the Election Commission, candidates and political parties will have to publish advertisements about candidates’ criminal records, Chhattisgarh Chief Electoral Officer Reena Baba Saheb Kangale said on Tuesday.
Addressing the media virtually, she said the first ‘publicity’ of the criminal records has to be published within the first four days of the last date of withdrawal of candidature and the second within the fifth and eight days of the last date of withdrawal.
The third and final publicity should be from the ninth day till the last date of election campaign, that is two days prior to polling day.
She said that political parties which nominate candidates will also publicize the criminal antecedents, if any.
The Election Commission in October 2018 had issued the directions making it compulsory for candidates contesting elections and the parties fielding them to advertise their criminal antecedents in TVs and newspapers at least thrice during the election campaign.
The publication should be on social media platforms of political parties including websites and in local vernacular and national newspapers.
