Amidst endeavors to furnish voters with comprehensive insights into the criminal records, assets, and liabilities of candidates contending in their respective electoral districts, the Election Commission of India has unveiled a novel mobile application titled ‘Know Your Candidate’ (KYC).
Rajiv Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner, disclosed the launch of a freshly minted mobile application known as Know Your Candidate (KYC), enabling voters to ascertain the criminal history of any electoral contender within their electoral jurisdiction.
This application is now accessible for download on both the Android and iOS platforms, affirmed the Chief Election Commissioner. Elaborating on the functionalities of the novel mobile application, the chief of the electoral body articulated, “We have introduced a pioneering mobile application allowing voters to discern whether a nominee vying for representation in the Lok Sabha possesses a criminal past. The application, christened ‘Know Your Candidate’ or ‘KYC’, empowers voters with crucial information.”
The electoral commission has proclaimed the conduct of Lok Sabha elections across seven phases, coinciding with assembly elections in four states—Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal, and Sikkim—which will also transpire concurrently in distinct single phases. Providing further elucidation on the KYC application, the Chief Election Commissioner underscored the voters’ entitlement to be apprised of any criminal records, assets, and liabilities of contenders representing their constituencies.
“Voters can now also peruse the assets and liabilities held by candidates with prior criminal involvements. All pertinent information pertaining to this aspect will be readily accessible via this application,” Kumar emphasized.
He further stipulated that parties nominating such candidates will be compelled to elucidate the rationale behind their selection, while the candidates themselves with a criminal history will be obliged to divulge all pertinent information to the public domain.
“Candidates bearing a criminal history are mandated to disseminate this information through newspapers and television thrice,” the electoral overseer added. “Parties endorsing such tarnished candidates must justify their preference over other more meritorious contenders. The criteria for selecting a candidate with a criminal background must be unequivocally delineated,” Kumar articulated.
The Know Your Candidate (KYC) application is currently accessible on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, as declared by the Election Commission on its official website, accompanied by the QR code facilitating app download.
Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled for May 13, while Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will undergo polling in a single phase on April 19. Concurrently, by-elections for 26 Assembly seats will coincide with the Lok Sabha elections.