Over 500 candidates register for e-filing of affidavits

More than 500 candidates have filed their affidavits electronically till now after the Election Commission (EC), for the first time, introduced e-filing of affidavits for candidates contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.
Sources said while over 500 registrations have been made on the various e-portals of the state poll bodies, 102 candidates have started filing in their statements of assets and liabilities online.
Thirty-eight candidates have already submitted their affidavits through the new initiative of e-filing till now, sources said.
"This procedure is catching up and the EC is happy about the success of the new method of filing of affidavits," a senior official said.

The affidavits (Form 26) are supposed to be furnished by the candidates at the time of filing of their nomination for contesting a Parliamentary or an Assembly seat.
The e-filing of affidavits has been introduced keeping in mind an error-free and customer-friendly filing of data by a candidate trying luck at the hustings.

A typical affidavit filed by a candidate includes his personal information like details of assets (including movable and immovable properties), properties and accounts under his or her name in a foreign land, liabilities of the candidate, name of the spouse and dependants, educational qualifications and criminal antecedents, if any.

The filing of the affidavit is a mandatory exercise notified by the EC under the Representation of People Act and if it is not done correctly, the Returning Officer has the powers to reject a nomination.
The e-filing facility, however, will be optional for candidates this time and witnessing the fact that a number of tech-savvy candidates are entering the poll fray the EC has introduced it as a test case.