The dates for the Lok Sabha polls have been announced by the Election Commission of India, and ahead of the elections the poll watchdog has launced a new mobile application - Know Your Candidate (KYC).
This app is intended to help voters find out if any candidate in their constituency has criminal records.
It aims to increase transparency in the electoral process, allowing voters to make informed decisions about their representatives.
Know Your Candidate app - how it works and what are the features
The KYC app is available on Android and iOS platforms. To use it voters need to choose the election type and the constituency name to view the full list of nominations or they can look up a candidate by name as well. The app then gives information about said candidate's criminal antecedents if any.
Details of the cases filed against the candidates, their status, and the nature of the offenses will be detailed, the EC said on its website.
The EC site has QR codes which can be scanned to download the KYC app for both Android and iOS. Alternatively, users can visit the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store to download the Know Your Candidate app.
What the CEC said
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar noted "The voters can also now check for themselves the assets and liabilities that candidates with criminal antecedents hold. All relevant information in this regard will be made available on this application", adding "Candidates with a criminal record are required to publish or make public this information in newspapers on television thrice."
The CEC continued "The parties giving tickets to such tainted candidates have to explain why they chose them over other, more deserving, claimants. They have to clearly state the basis of selection of a candidate with a criminal background."
The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases along with Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Odisha, Andra will go to polls on May 13 while Arunachal and Sikkim will vote on April 19. Bypolls for 26 Assembly seats will also be held along with the Lok Sabha elections.
(With ANI inputs)