In a strict directive, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra on Wednesday said that political parties would have to put their justification for selecting candidates with a criminal background in the public domain before polls.
Chandra, who was addressing a press conference in Panaji on Wednesday also said that poll authorities would crack down severely on hate speech during the campaign for the upcoming 2022 state assembly polls in Goa.
"Parties having to declare to the public why they are choosing candidates with criminal antecedents They will have to state on their website, to the public. We have chosen so and so... these are his criminal antecedents and we are selecting him for these, these reasons and we couldn't find anyone in that area who is more so and so and so," Chandra said.
Chandra is heading a team of the Election Commission of India to Goa to oversee and take stock of poll preparations in the coastal state.
"This was happening earlier also but it was not enforced very strictly. In the past political parties gave reasons like they (the candidate) has done a lot of social work in that area and that is why we have put them," Chandra also said, adding that the Commission would ensure strict compliance of the norm in wake of a recent Supreme Court directive.
"The Supreme Court asked to give the reasons and the elector can also understand the reasons why the party gave the candidate. Ultimately the party chooses the candidate but the final result is in your hand, the voter. We will be strict and when the elections are announced, we will launch an app," he said.
The Chief Election Commissioner also said that its officials would crack down on hate speeches during the election campaign.
"We don't want any hate speeches which vitiate the atmosphere and even social media be monitored and appropriate action will be taken," Chandra said.
"All polling stations will be web cast. This is the first time we have started webcasting so that the booth can be real-time monitored by the commission so that impartiality of the official can also be supervised," he also said."All polling stations will be webcast. This is the first time we have started webcasting so that the booth can be real-time monitored by the commission so that impartiality of the official can also be supervised," he added.
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