PNS|Hyderabad
The Hyderabad-based NGO, the Forum for Good Governance (FGG), requested all political parties to refuse tickets to candidates with criminal backgrounds. The Forum also expressed concern over elected representatives engaging in criminal acts while in office.
“It is a matter of concern that the percentage of elected representatives involved in crime after the 2014 Assembly elections was 29, but it rose to 43% after the 2019 Assembly elections,” FGG President G. Padmanabha Reddy said here on Monday. “Political parties may provide tickets to candidates they like. But there must be strict norms for that. If candidates with clean records are given a chance there is hope for the country. This will also make commoners confident about their choices. Reports say that 40–50 per cent of elective representatives in Assemblies and Parliament have criminal records,” he added.
“In 2021, the Supreme Court issued guidelines stating that political parties must publish records within 48 hours after the selection of candidates. It also directed the parties to publish these records in two national newspapers. What is happening today is that these people have money, they enter politics, contest on party symbols, enter the Assembly or Parliament and change sides,” the FGG President said.
The Forum suggested that during election campaigns, candidates from all political parties must be asked to take an oath that they won’t change parties after getting elected. This could ensure that people’s vote doesn’t go in vain. Others suggested that more women should be given tickets as they are less likely to get involved in crime.
