UP Polls: 25% out of 586 candidates in 2nd phase are tainted with criminal cases

The ADR, while making the revelations about the criminal cases against the candidates, also said that 45% of the candidates are crorepatis.

Hyderabad: Ahead of the 2nd phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh on February 14, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and UP Election Watch have said that 25 percent of the candidates in the fray have criminal cases registered against them out of whom 19% are also facing trial under serious crimes like murder, robbery, and dacoity.

In the 2nd of the seven phases, 55 assembly seats are going to polls in nine districts of Amroha, Bareilly, Bijnor, Badaun, Moradabad, Rampur, Saharanpur, Sambhal, and Shahjahanpur. The ADR, while making the revelations about the criminal cases against the candidates, also said that 45% of the candidates are crorepatis. These details of criminal records and assets have been released by UP Election Watch and ADR on the basis of the study of admission affidavits of candidates for Phase II.

A total of 586 candidates are in the fray in the 2nd phase. Of the affidavits filed of 584 candidates analyzed by the ADR, it has been found that Samajwadi Party has fielded a maximum of 35 candidates in the list of tainted candidates. Out of 52 SP candidates, 35 candidates have criminal cases registered against them, the ADR said.

Likewise, 23 out of 54 candidates of Congress, 20 out of 36 of BSP, 18 out of 53 of BJP, 1 out of 3 of RLD, and seven out of 49 candidates of Aam Aadmi Party have criminal cases registered against them, it added. Among the candidates against whom cases are registered in serious sections like murder, robbery, dacoity, rebellion, 25 out of 52 candidates of SP, 16 out of 54 of Congress, 15 out of 55 of BSP, 11 out of 53 of BJP, RLD are worth the mention. One out of 3 and 7 out of 49 candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party have serious cases registered against them. As for the most crorepati candidates in BJP, while 52 out of 53 candidates of BJP are crorepatis, 48 out of 52 of SP, 46 out of 55 of BSP, 31 out of 54 of Congress, 2 out of 3 from RLD, 16 out of 49 of Aam Aadmi Party are in the elite list.

Apart from a criminal background, the ADR report also found many super-rich candidates in the fray.

Out of 19 candidates of AIMIM, seven are crorepatis. Nawab Kazim Ali Khan, who is contesting on Congress ticket from Rampur is the richest candidate who has assets worth more than 296 crores as per the ADR. SP candidate from Bareilly Cantt.

Supriya Aron is at number two, with assets of more than 157 crores, while in third place is Devendra Nagpal, BJP candidate contesting from Naugaowa assembly of Amroha has total assets of more than 140 crores. Among the candidates with the highest liability, Kunal Singh, the candidate of Rashtriya Parivartan Dal from Sehajwan seat of Badaun, has a liability of more than 88 crores, while Devendra Nagpal has a liability of 21 crores and BJP candidate Omkar from Bijnor's Nehtoor reserved seat has a liability of more than 12 crores. Furthermore, 96 candidates have assets of more than five crores even as 90 have assets between two and five crores.

Apart from this, 147 candidates have given information about having assets between 50 lakh to two crores, while 155 candidates have assets between 10 and 50 lakh. At the same time, there are 96 such candidates in this list, whose total assets are less than 10 lakhs. Besides crorepati candidates, low profile candidates are also trying their luck in the electoral fray, in which the total assets of Sanjay Kumar, who is contesting from Shahjahanpur, is only Rs 6,700.

AAP candidate Vishal Kumar from Nehtoor assembly seat of Bijnor has Rs 13,500 and AAP candidate from Sadar seat of Saharanpur, Usman Malik has total deposits of Rs 15,000.

Pertinently, the ADR had said that twenty-five percent of candidates in the fray for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections also had criminal cases against them, including 12 who are accused of crimes against women and six charged with murder.