New Delhi: As many as 1500 (19%) of 7928 candidates contesting Lok Sabha 2019 elections have declared criminal charges against themselves. This shows that about one in every five candidates contesting the Lok Sabha election is accused of committing a heinous crime, according to a report by election watchdog Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The proportion of candidates with criminal charges has risen since the 2014 Lok Sabha election, as out of 8205 candidates analysed during Lok Sabha elections in 2014, around 1404, 17%, candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves.
Out of 7810 candidates and allies during Lok Sabha elections in 2009, 1158 almost 15%, candidates had declared criminal cases against themselves.
The election watchdog, ADR analysis is based on the study of the self sworn affidavit of 7928 out of 8049 candidates contesting in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Among major parties, 175 (40%) out of 433 candidates from BJP have criminal charges against them, BJP is followed by Congress with 164 (39%) out of 419 candidates and BSP with 40 (58%) out of 69 candidates have declared criminal cases against them in their affidavits.
Prof Jagdeep Chhokar, founder member, ADR said "this elections we found that BJP has the highest number of 361 (83%) crorepati candidates followed by Congress with 348 (83%) candidates, BSP 127 (33%), CPI (M) 25 (36%), NCP 20 (59%) and 506 independents.
The report also revealed that an independent candidate Rajesh Kumar Sharma is the richest candidate who is contesting from Bihar's Pataliputra constituency. He declared assets worth Rs 1,107 crore.
According to the report, the average of assets for a candidate contesting in the Lok Sabha election 2019 is Rs 4.14 crore.
Among major parties, the average assets for the candidate of 433 BJP candidates are Rs 13.3 7 crores while 419 Congress candidates have average assets of rupees 9 19.9 to crores.
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