When candidates have only the condition of age as eligibility, why should they give other information to election commission?

The basic legal qualifications to stand as a candidate are:

1. Citizenship (Any Indian citizen who is registered as a voter and over 25 years of age is allowed to contest elections to the Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assemblies)

2. Above 25 years of age (For the Rajya Sabha the age limit is 30 years. Candidates for Vidhan Sabha should be residents of the same state from which they wish to contest)

3. Full possession of civil and political rights.

Other information are given to election commission because other criteria of the candidate are also considered important. They are:

• criteria of competence,

• moral aptitude

• commitment to societal norms,

• Discriminatory approach.

If opposition politicians are subject to quasi-legal persecution, court cases could be used to stop them from contesting an election. In other cases, the requirements may not have the desired effect.