What is Form 26 and how it helps voters make an informed choice

New Delhi, Mar 11: With the election dates for the Lok Sabha polls being announced, there would be a host of formalities that the candidates would have to follow. All candidates would have to submit certain documents to contest the elections.

To contest the Lok Sabha polls, a candidates would have be aged 25 or above.

List of documents to be submitted:

• Nomination paper in Form 2A for Lok Sabha election and Form 2B for Assembly election.
• Affidavit in Form 26 with all the columns filled up and sworn before an Oath Commissioner or Magistrate of First Class or before a Notary Public
• Additional Affidavit regarding public dues
• Certified extract of electoral roll (when candidate is an elector of a different constituency)
• Form A and Form B (applicable in the case of candidates set up by political parties)
• Copy of Caste certificates (if the candidate claims to belong to SC/ST)
• Security deposit
• Oath and affirmation

Form 26:

The objective behind introducing Form 26 was to help the voter make an informed decision. A candidate is required to file an affidavit called Form 26, in which information on assets, liabilities, educational qualifications, criminal antecedents and public dues, if any has to be provided.

The same has to be filed along with the nomination papers. It needs to be sworn before an Oath Commissioner of Magistrate of the First Class or before a Notary.

Earlier, the candidate had to declare on the last IT-return, for self, souse and dependants. Now it is mandatory to declare their own income tax returns of the past 5 years rather than only one. The details of the offshore assets as well as the details of the spouses and dependants have to be revealed.

The affidavit in Form 26 need to be filed with the following details:

• Particulars relating to criminal antecedents, if any, (cases of convictions and all pending cases)
• Details of PAN and status of filing of Income tax return of self, spouse and dependents
• Details of the assets (movable and immovable etc.)
• Liabilities/dues of candidate, spouse and all dependents to government and public financial institutions
• Details of profession or occupation of candidate and spouse
• Highest educational qualification of the candidate