Owning up to Criminalisation in Politics

Context: Recent SC order asking the political parties to state the reasons for selection of candidates with criminal antecedents pushes the envelope further on restricting them from contesting elections.

Reasons for criminalisation of politics:

• Deterioration in politics: The intent to do public service is absent despite enough capability in the present political system. For example:

• The political system is unwilling to change the law or the system. 
• Politics has been captured by those who want power for its own sake.
• None of the initiatives on electoral reforms since 2002 has come from the political system. 

• Limited choices: for the voters due to which the government has not been able to improve.
• Money power: to buy MLAs and MPs makes a mockery of election outcomes. 
• Secrecy in funding: Electoral bonds lack transparency in political funding.
• Lack of enforcement: of laws and court judgments by the law enforcement agencies. 

• Also, it is not clear what penalty would be imposed if the recent orders are not followed. 

• Root cause: Political party leaders mainly responsible as they field tainted candidates. 
• Legal and technical constraints: Ban people with serious criminal charges from contesting elections. 

Way Forward:

• Effective vigilance: about the candidates in the electoral process. 

• Monitoring the affidavits of candidates.
• Working with the Election Commission to ensure that information is available on their websites.
• Widely circulating this information to voters using social media tools.
• Monitoring compliance with the Supreme Court judgment to see if details of tainted candidates are in the public domain. 

• Ethical politics: Winnability should not be cited as a reason for fielding the candidates. 
• Voter's responsibility: They need to be vigilant about the misuse of money power during elections. 
• Public pressure: On political leaders for not giving tickets to tainted candidates.
• Effective implementation of earlier SC orders:

• Each candidate shall submit an affidavit giving financial details and criminal cases. 
• Each candidate shall inform the political party in writing of criminal cases against him.
• The party shall put up in public domain the names and details of candidates.