What's your criminal index?

At the outset, it must be pointed out that no major political party has, as yet, adopted this application form for candidates who want to contest the Lok Sabha elections. It has, however, been circulating on the internet, so it is just possible some parties may adopt it. After asking for the candidate’s name, it asks for the current address — the name of the jail and the cell number. As in the case of most CVs, it asks candidates to list their last five jobs, oops parties, in chronological order. Why did you leave the party — defected, expelled, bought out, none of the above, all of the above; why do you want to contest —– to make money, to escape court trial, to grossly misuse power, to serve the public, no clue; details of criminal cases are also sought (candidates can use additional sheets); number of years in jail (not to be confused with the question on years of public service); there’s a lot more. The nationality question — Italian or Indian — is a dead giveaway as to which party’s sympathisers designed the new form though, for the record, it says it has been issued in the public interest by the Election Commission of India.