Rajasthan Assembly Elections: EC makes it mandatory for parties to publish why candidate with criminal record selected for election

Aimed to have more transparent elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) made it mandatory for political parties to explain the reasons behind the selection of candidates with a criminal past. As the Rajasthan Assembly elections draw nearer, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar  provided insights into the preparedness of the Election Commission. He emphasised the Election Commission's commitment to conducting free and fair elections in the state. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated that over the last two days, the Election Commission held discussions with all political parties, including nationally recognised parties. The poll body is taking steps to prevent the entry of criminals into politics, under this political parties will have to give an explanation in newspapers as to why they gave the ticket to a person with a criminal background.

"In the last two days, we met all the political parties- nationally recognised parties and also had a detailed discussion with the enforcement agencies of the central government and the state government. Thereafter had a review with the DMs, SPS, IGs, DIGs, Commissioners and all the senior officers of the state government. They said free and fair elections should be ensured, deployment of para-military forces at critical polling stations...," said Rajiv Kumar on poll preparedness, as quoted bby news agency ANI.Following these discussions, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar held a comprehensive review meeting with various key officials, including District Magistrates (DMs), Superintendents of Police (SPs), Inspector Generals (IGs), Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs), Commissioners, and other senior officers of the state government. The focus of these deliberations was to guarantee free and fair elections in Rajasthan.In line with this objective, it was emphasised during the meeting that the deployment of paramilitary forces would be essential at critical polling stations. This strategic move aims to maintain a secure and orderly environment during the election process, ensuring that voters can exercise their democratic rights without fear or intimidation.