Cong seeks EC view on tainted politicians

With reports that many politicians cutting across party lines contested elections in the last five years despite facing charges of crime against women, the Congress on Friday said the Election Commission should take a view if such persons were competent to represent the people.

“The Election Commission should take a view whether these politicians are competent to represent the people,” party spokesperson Renuka Chowdhary told reporters at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here.

When asked if it was a matter of self-introspection, the Congress leader said: “There is no second opinion on this issue. When we take into cognisance financial frauds of the contesting candidates, then why not take cognisance of these crimes?”

In its recent report, the “Association for democratic reforms” noted that in the last five years, political parties gave tickets to 27 candidates to contest state elections, even though they declared that they had been charged with rape. Of these, seven were independent candidates, five belonged to the Samajwadi Party, two each to the BJP and the BSP and one to the Congress. Ten candidates were from Uttar Pradesh and five from Bihar.

Political parties also alloted tickets to 260 other candidates in the Legislative Assembly elections in the last five years, who declared that they faced charges of crime against women.