As the elections to the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh state assemblies are just a few months away, political parties in both the states have begun the exercise in selecting candidates for contest.
Unfortunately, almost all the parties look for candidates who have the money power and muscle power, rather than the desire to serve the people.
One should be in a position to spend at least Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore to get the tickets from any party.
According to Hyderabad-based NGO – Forum For Good Governance, nearly one-third of MLAs have criminal background.
“If this trend is allowed to continue the day is not far off that only criminals will be sitting in assembly,” it said.
The NGO said land grabbers, bank loan defaulters, persons amassing huge wealth through illegal means are entering into politics to protect their ill-gotten wealth and to accumulate further wealth.
In a letter to heads of various political parties, the FFG requested them to give tickets to people with clean image preferably from poor and middle class families and people of eminence.
It reminded that the Supreme Court had passed an order in September 2018 asking the parties not to give tickets to persons with criminal record.
The organisation demanded that if a candidate is contesting an election on de ticket of a particular party, he/she is required to inform the party about the criminal cases pending against him.
The concerned political party shall be obliged to put up on its own website the aforesaid information pertaining to the candidates having criminal antecedents.
The candidate as well as the concerned political party shall issue a declaration in the widely circulated newspapers in the locality about the antecedents of the candidate and also give wide publicity in the electronic media at least thrice after filing of the nomination papers, the FGG demanded.
