Poll rights body ADR has asked the Election Commission to constitute an audit team to examine the compliance of self-declaration formats C-7 and C-8 for publication of criminal antecedents of candidates by political parties in the Gujarat assembly elections.

Forms C-7 and C-8 are for political parties to publish in newspapers, on social media platforms and websites of the parties information regarding individuals with pending criminal cases who have been selected as candidates, along with the reasons for such selection.

The issues were highlighted in a letter addressed to the ECI, requesting prompt action against defaulting parties in light of discrepancies found in forms C-7 and C-8.

The letter submitted by the Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel in association with the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) raised concerns about the violation of Supreme Court judgments in the matter.

A mechanism for monitoring and auditing C-7 and C-8 forms, with strict reminders to defaulters, was also proposed in the letter.

The ADR said the ECI should issue modified guidelines, clarifying ambiguities related to font size, language and format for vernacular newspapers.

The guidelines emphasized that C-7 forms should be published in the same format as given by the ECI on March 6, 2020, and October 10, 2018, with a uniform format for easy voter identification.

The guidelines need to be entirely translated into Gujarati and circulated among all political parties in the state, making them available to citizens through various media channels, including newspapers, TV channels and social media platforms, it said.

The ADR also said that the C-8 form should be amended to include the phase-wise date of publishing of C-7 forms, along with the cost of publishing.

Political parties must provide an elaborative and clear declaration in C-8 forms, mentioning the total number of candidates with criminal antecedents and the total number of candidates for which C-7 forms are being published.

Instances of parties deviating from the prescribed font and format in C-7 forms were reported, with specific mention of the Aam Aadmi Party publishing C-7 forms in a very small font. The need for uniformity is emphasized to aid voters in identifying crucial information, the letter said.

The ADR also called upon the ECI to take immediate action in line with the directions and guidelines issued to political parties.

The letter stressed the importance of adherence to the prescribed norms for a transparent electoral process and urged the ECI to enforce compliance based on the Supreme Court judgments.