For the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha polls, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and The National Election Watch analysed the self-sworn affidavits of all 904 contenting candidates and found that 199 (or 22%) of them have declared criminal cases against themselves, 151 of which have serious criminal cases against them. 13 candidates have cases related to crime against women and 27 have cases related to attempt to murder, as shown in the table below.
Also read: These are the Lok Sabha constituencies and States going to polls in Phase 7
Around 40% of candidates of major parties have criminal cases
Barring Biju Janata Dal, Odisha’s leading State party, at least around 40% of the contesting candidates of the parties, as shown in the chart below, have criminal cases declared against themselves. 45% of Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidates, and 39% of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress candidates are charged with criminal cases.
The following graphic shows the candidates with the most number of criminal cases against them.
The map below shows the percentage of candidates with criminal cases in each of the constituencies going on poll during the seventh phase. Out of the five constituencies which have the highest share of candidates with criminal charges, 4 are in Uttar Pradesh, namely: Maharajganj (46%), Varanasi (43%), Ghazipur (40%), and Mirzapur (40%).
The chart below also shows the State-wise share of contesting candidates that have criminal cases against them. States with the highest share of candidates with criminal cases are Bihar and Uttar Pradesh with 24% each, and Odisha and West Bengal - with 23%.
Crorepati candidates of major parties
Among the major national parties, all of AAP’s contesting candidates are crorepatis, whereas 97% of Congress candidates and 86% of BJP’s candidates are crorepatis, as shown in the bar chart below.
The following graphic shows the candidates with the highest total assets.
The box plot below showcases the distribution of assets of candidates of major parties. Among the national parties, the median assets held by BJP candidates is the highest at ₹5.9 crores, while that of Congress candidates is ₹5.4 crores.
The map below shows the share of contesting candidates who are crorepatis, constituency-wise. In 3 (of 4) of Himachal Pradesh’s constituencies, at least 60% of the candidates are crorepatis.
Female candidates from major parties in single digits
As shown in the bar chart below, among major national and state parties, the number of female candidates contesting are in single digits, resembling the trend of most of the past six phases.
Published - June 01, 2024 06:48 am IST
