Explained: What are ‘A’ and ‘B’ forms, why are they crucial?

This Election season you would have heard about candidates contesting in elections receiving the B-Forms. If you have ever wondered why both the forms are so important, here is the reason why

Hyderabad: Candidates aspiring to contest Assembly Elections on any political party’s ticket need to submit various documents and forms to the Returning Officer. While the documents will confirm their identification, age, address and caste (if the candidate is contesting from a reserved seat) they also need to submit affidavits on criminal cases, properties and cash owned by them and their immediate family members.

Other crucial documents that are to be furnished mandatorily are the A-Form and the B-Form. These two Forms are proof that a political party has appointed a person in charge of distributing tickets and the candidates who are contesting elections are authorised by the party to contest from a particular constituency.

This Election season you would have heard about candidates contesting in elections receiving the B-Forms. If you have ever wondered why both the forms are so important, here is the reason why:

Form A:

• Form A is a communication given by a recognised national or regional political party or a recognised but unregistered political party to the Returning Officer of the concerned constituency or the Chief Election Officer of a state, confirming the names of the candidates who have been approved and chosen by the office-bearers of political parties to contest in the Elections.
• The communication of the same must come from the presidents or the secretaries of political parties, with their signatures and the party seals.
• The From-A will also contain the information on the office-bearers who are authorised by the party to distribute the tickets to the candidates.

Form-B:

• Form-B or more commonly known as B-Form is a document signed by an authorised office-bearer of a political party (whose name is mentioned in the Form-A furnished to the Election Commission officials).
• The Form-B is issued to inform the Returning Officer of a constituency about the name of the authorised candidate that is being nominated by the political party for the allotment of the party symbol.
• The letter will also contain the name of a substitute candidate in case the nomination of the primary candidate is rejected during the scrutiny that is conducted by the officials.
• It is a confirmation certificate which declares that the authorised person, whose candidature is issued, is a member of the political party which has issued him/her the Form.