Criminal past candidates

Chandigarh 30 NOV :-The shady criminal past of at least five candidates who are contesting the Municipal Corporation (MC) elections on tickets of the two major political parties, the Congress and BJP, seems to have come to haunt them. These councillors have earlier been booked for crimes ranging from preventive measures, assault, gambling and a cheque-bounce case. The disclosures form part of the affidavits filed by the candidates as part of their nomination papers. The BJP-SAD tops the list, with four candidates with police cases against them under different Sections of the IPC. It is not only old war horses, even fresh faces of some parties are also sailing in the same boat. BJP candidate Arun Goyal of ward number 3 was booked in a case in 2005 under Section 3 and 4 of the Public Gambling Act.Another BJP candidate and first-timer Asha Jaiswal from ward number 4 was booked by the police under preventive measures. BJP candidate from ward number 11, Anil Kumar Dubey, is reportedly an accused in a case of hurt and assault.Meanwhile, the information seems to be working to the advantage of the opposition candidates, who are leaving no stone unturned to mention a candidate’s criminal history."Political parties like the Congress and the BJP-SAD combine who are speaking against the criminalisation of politics are themselves fielding some candidates with a criminal record," said Sachin Sharma, a member of a city-based association.The Congress is also in the same league, with two of its candidates booked in different cases. Three cases of forgery and assault have been registered against senior Congress leader Devinder Singh Babla. Another Congress leader HS Lucky was booked for hurt and assault, which was later cancelled.