Poll candidates urged to disclose pending criminal cases in N-Form

Rangareddy: Urging the candidates of all the political parties to adhere to regulations laid by the Election Commission (EC) and follow due procedure before filing the nominations, the Collector Rangareddy district K Shashanka said, "The process of receiving the nominations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Chevella will begin from April 18 at the office of the Returning Officer (RO) inside Mandal Revenue Office, Rajendra Nagar.

While elaborating about the nomination process during a meeting with the leaders of political parties today at the Mandal Revenue Office, Rajendra Nagar, the collector said, “Candidates can obtain Form-2A from the RO at the MRO office in Rajendra Nagar for free of charge.”

“The nominations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be received between 11:00 am to 3:00 pm on all working days, excluding Sundays. The process will begin from April 18 and will continue until April 25. A candidate can file four sets of nominations, and only four persons will be allowed to enter along with the candidate. The scrutiny of nominations will commence from April 26, while the candidates will be allowed to withdraw their papers by April 29,” said the official.

Urging the contesting candidates to open a new bank account for election related transactions, the district collector said, “All the polling expenses and records should be maintained appropriately. Candidates can spend a maximum of Rs 95 lakh on their election campaign. All the poll-related expenses of the candidates will be calculated on the basis of the relevant bank account transactions. Apart from this, the candidates must include the details of the criminal cases pending against them in Part III of the nomination form.”

“At the time of filing the nomination, the candidate or the proposed person has to present physically and must take a pledge prescribed by the EC in the presence of the Returning Officer. Before submitting the nominations, all aspects of the prescribed form should be thoroughly considered,” the official added.

The Collector, who is also a District Election Officer in Rangareddy, advised the candidates to obtain prior permission for election campaigns such as meetings, rallies, the use of LED display content, mics, vehicles, posters, and others. “Also, for the use of helicopters, the candidates are suggested to take the permission from the Returning Officer. Requests should be made through the Suvidha portal at least 48 hours in advance,” he suggested.

Revenue officials and staff from the Election Commission besides representatives from different political parties were present on the occasion.