Should convicted criminals allowed to contest elections??

According to Arisotle, ‘Politics is the highest level of activity a human being is capable of.’ But in the present scenario it’s quite difficult to understand the gravity of this statement. Ask someone (not talking about the scion of great leaders) what about taking politics as a career option? No doubt you’ll get such weird reactions as if you have committed a grave mistake. The reasons to such responses are many but the foremost that taps is, nobody takes politics as a serious career option that requires certain qualification, consider it as a worthwhile field to step into. For instance, recall the TATA tea ‘jago India’ campaign. Ha! Reel is nothing but reality blended with humour and entertainment.
With parliamentary elections announced in India, and with nearly 25% of the country’s 714 million voters below the age of 35, there are thousands of political aspirants who would throw themselves as candidates in the poll fray. The big question is what are the qualifications required to contest the elections? Are the mere obligations of being citizen of India, not less than 25 years of age and voter from any parliamentary constituency in the country are enough, to lead a nation?
The answer is a unanimous No. Politics is unlike any other career, in the sense it needs more passion and commitment and care for people. One must have empathy and be knowledgeable of the society one lives in, as well as have a global perspective. It is necessary to be a good listener and have high moral values to be an effective leader and these attributes are rare in a convicted felon. A successful leader is one who has his finger on the pulse of the people, their sentiments, not someone, who has toyed with them or exploited them somehow in their criminal lifetime.
Politics is a noble profession and it is a shame to accept politicians who have criminal backgrounds. In every field we expect a person to be qualified, experienced and accountable, so why not in politics? We are still striving to be freed from criminal records, including some with charges of heinous crimes such as a murder, rape, looting and kidnapping. This seriously tarnishes the image of honest and eminent leaders who are committed to building a greater nation.
Such people should strictly be prohibited to contest the election