New Delhi: The Election Commission is set to ask the government to amend laws to disqualify candidates named in chargesheets for bribing candidates, PTI reported on Sunday.
The poll watchdog has decided to write to the Law Ministry seeking changes in the Representation of the People Act to ensure that candidates contesting Lok Sabha and assembly polls are disqualified for up to five years once they are chargesheeted by a court, sources in the poll panel told PTI.
In its lengthy order cancelling the RK Nagar bypoll, the commission had pointed out that political parties and their top leaders used "innovative ways" in bribing voters to outwit law enforcement authorities mandated with keeping an eye on poll expenditure.
Earlier, the poll panel had asked the government to give it power under the election law to countermand an election where money power is used. At present, the Election Comission can countermand an election following use of muscle power.
It can use its constitutional powers under Article 324 to countermand a poll over use of money power, but it wants the power to be vested to it under law. The logic is that it does not want to use its constitutional powers too frequently.
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