Clean Politics: Gogoi's Call for Voter Awareness on Candidates' Criminal Backgrounds

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi underscores the importance of public awareness about the criminal records of election candidates. Speaking at a webinar, he pointed out the rising trend of individuals with criminal cases winning elections and urged voters to demand cleaner candidates. Gogoi emphasized accessible information and political accountability.

In a striking address at a recent webinar, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi highlighted the critical need for heightened public awareness regarding the criminal backgrounds of election candidates. Organized by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), Gogoi stressed the increasing trend of individuals with criminal records contesting and succeeding in elections.

Gogoi urged the electorate to demand candidates with clean backgrounds and pressured political parties to heed public sentiment. Drawing parallels to the public's influence on air pollution policies, he argued that voters could similarly drive political reform encouraging parties to select candidates with no criminal records.

The Congress leader proposed enhancing the accessibility of criminal background information, typically found in election affidavits. Gogoi called on media and political leaders to play their part in reforming the political candidate selection process, while also asking whether convicted individuals should face permanent election bans.

(With inputs from agencies.)