Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

4,000 poll contestants to be disqualified

N.J. Nair

For failing to file their expenditure statement for last local body polls

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 4,000 of the 66,000 candidates who contested the local body elections in 2004 will not be able to run for another term as the State Election Commission has initiated disqualification proceedings against them for failing to file the expenditure statement on time.

Rules specify that all contestants should file their statement of election expenses before the designated authority within 30 days. When 65,000 persons entered the fray in 2000, the commission had taken action against 13,000 contestants for failing to file the statement. They included five elected members too. It took almost four years for the commission to complete the entire process.

No elected members are among those facing action now. The fall in number this time is attributed to ‘peer pressure’ from the commission’s forthright action against erring candidates as well as the growing awareness among political activists and civic members. The files of 700 candidates have been cleared for final action. The rest will be completed within the next two months, as can be gleaned from the fact that the commission is processing 50 to 100 files every day.

Those contesting the grama panchayat elections are required to file the statement before the block panchayat secretary, and the candidates to the block panchayats before the district panchayat secretary. Contestants to district panchayats, municipalities and Corporations have to report to the District Collector.

If a candidate fails to file the statement within 30 days, the commission will first issue a notice. Failure in responding to this will invite a notice from the commission seeking an explanation. The commission will then sound out the panchayat secretary and subsequently put up a notice in front of the candidate’s residence before going ahead with the disqualification proceedings. Erring candidates will forfeit the right to fight even a byelection.

In certain cases, candidates contesting the grama panchayat elections had filed the statement before the District Collector. The commission had compassionately considered such cases and had given extended time before taking corrective measures.

The system of filing statements has helped to bring down the election expenses and make them more transparent. Candidates have become more accountable and now consciously try to limit the expenses to the minimum.

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