No bars

Busybodies out to contest the presidential polls are increasing by the day ever since nominations opened. The returning officer for the polls, Lok Sabha Secretary General P D T Achary, discovered that he has no authority to bar anyone, even if the papers are not in proper order. At the time of filing of nominations, the RO is only required to verify that the candidate has attached a copy of the voters list where his/her name appears. For a nomination to be valid, the signatures of 100 voters8212;that is, of MPs or MLAs8212;and a deposit of Rs 15,000 are required. The nomination can be rejected on these grounds only on the day of scrutiny. Till then the candidates can all roam around as presidential candidates.