chennai many political parties are shamelessly fielding habitual offenders land grabbers and goondas as their candidates the madras high court said on tuesdaycriminal elements dominating grassroots politics and hijacking local bodies is an extraordinary situation it said calling upon political parties to field only persons with integrity honesty and a sense of commitment to serve society as their candidateswhile quashing the state election commission notifications dated september 26 to hold local body elections in tamil nadu the single judge of the high court said of late media reports reveal many elected representatives of local bodies being done to death due to their criminal antecedents or illegal mining operations or real estate businesspolitical leaders are dutybound to see that such candidates are not chosen as contestantsquoting mahatma gandhi the judge said gram raj was in existence in ancient india for centuries and added local governance is more vital and important than the other two tiers assembly and parliamentreferring to unpleasant and violent incidents that had taken place in 2006 and 2011 when civic polls were held under the dmk and aiadmk regimes respectively the judge said it was the common mans impression that both the parties besides other political parties had been indulging in violent ways to win elections by hook or crookhe said the election process was a way to ascertain the will of the people and added that it should be obtained through unbiased means and not by corrupting voters with money and muscle power it is in the public domain that money and liquor have flowed at the time of election unless money flow is curtailed or prevented free and fair elections are not possiblepeople should shun people with questionable integrity irrespective of their political affiliations the judge said and added this court hopes that all political parties would understand democratic principles and choose candidates with integrity and honestyif criminal elements become law makers and policy makers the consequences would be very dangerous