Congress didn’t list nominee’s criminal cases: BJP

Panaji, May 9 (IANS) The BJP on Thursday filed a complaint before the Election Commission seeking action against the Congress candidate for the May 19 assembly bypoll, Atanasio Monserrate, for failing to publish the list of criminal cases filed against him in newspapers, as mandated by a Supreme Court judgement.

In his complaint, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Vinay Tendulkar said that by not complying with the Supreme Court directions, Monserrate, who has a range of criminal cases pending against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), POCSO, Income Tax Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, among others, has also attracted contempt of court.

"The said SC judgment makes it mandatory, that the candidate having criminal background and the political party who has set up such a candidate must inform the general public three times on different dates in the period between the last day of withdrawal of nominations and the last day of campaigning about the same through print media as well as electronic media," Tendulkar said in his complaint.

"Therefore, it is our strong contention that Atanasio Monserrtae and the Congress have clearly violated the aforesaid mandatory provision laid down by the EC and have also attracted a serious case of contempt of Supreme Court," Tendulkar said.

Incidentally, the last date for campaigning for the Panaji bypoll is May 17.

Monserrate of the Congress party takes on Aam Aadmi Party's Valmiki Naik, former Panaji MLA Sidharth Kuncalienkar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Goa Suraksha Manch's Subhash Velingkar for the Panaji seat.