210 candidates contesting in phase 4 election face criminal charges: ADR

According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms, 23% of candidates contesting in phase 4 of the Lok Sabha elections face serious criminal charges against them. The report also suggests that the same scenario prevails across party lines.

New Delhi: As many as 210 candidates out of 928 candidates contesting in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections, across 71 constituencies in eight states, face criminal charges against themselves, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

According to the report by the National Election Watch and ADR, as many as 210 (23%) of 928 candidates contesting in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections have declared criminal charges against themselves.

While 158 candidates (almost 17%) are charged with serious cases.

The ADR has analysed the affidavits of candidates across major political parties and found that 20 candidates out of of 57 candidates from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and nine candidates out of 57 candidates from Indian National Congress (INC), 10 candidates out of 54 candidates from Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) have serious criminal charges against them.

Besides, almost 45 per cent of 345 independent candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

It is also noted that 37 out of 71 constituencies in fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections are 'red alert' constituencies, as three or more candidates contesting there face criminal charges.

When it comes about the wealth of the candidates, there are 306 (33%) candidates who have assets worth Rs. 1 crore or more. Among major parties, the average assets per candidate for 57 BJP candidates is Rs. 13.6 3 crores while 57 INC candidates have assets worth Rs. 29.03 crores.

The report also says that 54 BSP candidates have average assets of Rs. 2.69 crores and 21 Shiv Sena candidates have average assets of Rs. 17.8 5 crores.

The fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls will be held on April 29.

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