Disqualify Candidates Defaulting on Loans: Delhi Bank Union To EC

The bank union said that an NOC should indicate political candidates have no overdue loans.

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(Photo: Aroop Mishra/ The Quint)

The Delhi Pradesh Bank Workers Association has urged the Election Commission of India (EC) to ask candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections to furnish a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from bankers, reported India Today.

The bank union, via email, said that the NOC should indicate that the candidates have no overdue loans.

General secretary of the Delhi Pradesh Bank Workers’ Organisation Ashwini Rana said that earlier, the Election Commission had made recommendations to bar candidates with utility bill defaults.

However, the government had shot down the proposal to bar such candidates, he added.

The poll panel had earlier proposed to amend the Representation of the People Act to bar candidates from contesting elections if they did not clear their dues such as house rent in government accommodation, water and electricity bills, according to India Today.

At a time when the country is facing an NPA (Non-Performing Assets) crisis, such steps send the right message to the candidates, Rana said.

When applying for a loan, "A common citizen has to go through such a comprehensive procedure," said Rana, adding that similar steps must be taken in case of politicians to reduce the NPA crisis.

(With inputs from India Today.)