EC rejects demand for filing affidavits by Prez candidates

The Election Commission has rejected a demand to make mandatory the filing of affidavits by candidates in the Presidential poll disclosing their assets and criminal record, if any.

The demand was made by the Association for Democratic Reforms, which working for improving governance and strengthening democracy through electoral and political reforms.

Two former Chief Election Commissioners T S Krishnamurthy and N Gopalaswami had also written to the Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath for making such affidavits mandatory in the coming Presidential elections.

Sources said the EC has rejected such a proposal of making prior mandatory disclosures of details of criminal, financial and educational background of candidates contesting the Presidential poll.

"We cannot ask the candidates contesting the election of the President of India to file the affidavits," the commission said in its reply to ADR's letter to the CEC.

It is mandatory for all candidates contesting the election to Lok Sabha and state assemblies to file disclosure affidavits carrying details of criminal, financial and educational background of candidates.

The ADR had said since the Supreme Court judgments of 2002 and 2003 direct the EC to get background information on criminal records, assets, liabilities and education, through a declaration from all candidates contesting Parliament or Assembly elections in exercise of its powers under Article 324 of the Constitution."

The ADR has also said since Article 79 of the Constitution states that Parliament for the Union shall consist of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as the Council of States and the House of the People, those contesting the election to the top post be treated on a par with those contesting elections to Parliament.

Former CEC Krishnamurthy has said that the EC should also make candidates contesting Presidential poll file the affidavits in the interest of free and fair election and another former CEC Gopalaswami said the requirement of affidavit be extended to elections to the office of the President and the Vice-President, from the lowest to the highest elected office in the country.

The Presidential election will be held on July 19 and results will be out on July 22. 776 MPs of both Houses of Parliament and 4,120 members of state assemblies are expected to vote. The total value of votes of 4,896 electors is 10,98,882.