Voting for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections will take place on May 13. Of the 1,710 candidates contesting in this phase, 21 percent have given information about criminal cases registered against them. Talking about the candidates, Dr. Chandra Shekhar Pemmasani of Telugu Desam Party is the richest candidate for the fourth phase, whose total assets are Rs. More than Rs 5,700 crore, while there are 24 candidates who do not own any assets. This information has come to light in the report of Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). A total of 476 candidates out of 1710 in the fray for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections are crorepatis, with assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.
According to the ADR report, a total of 360 candidates have informed about criminal cases registered against them, out of which 17 candidates have been convicted in various cases. 11 candidates have cases registered against them related to murder, 30 have charges of attempt to murder and 50 candidates have criminal cases registered against them related to crimes against women while five candidates have charges of rape.
Candidates with criminal background
Three out of three candidates from All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), two out of three candidates from Shiv Sena, 10 out of 17 candidates from Bharat Rashtra Samiti, 35 out of 61 candidates from Congress and 70 from Bharatiya Janata Party. 40 candidates have given information about criminal cases registered against them in the affidavit. Apart from this, nine out of 17 candidates of Telugu Desam Party, two out of four candidates of Biju Janata Dal, two out of four candidates of Rashtriya Janata Dal, two out of four candidates of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), out of 25 candidates of YSRCP. 12 candidates, three out of eight from Trinamool Congress and seven out of 19 candidates from Samajwadi Party have given information about criminal cases registered against them.
ADR has proposed
Analysis of ADR provides information about candidates with criminal backgrounds in major political parties. Based on these analyses, ADR has proposed several reforms aimed at curbing the criminalization of politics. These include permanent disqualification of candidates convicted of serious crimes, bringing political parties under the ambit of the Right to Information Act and imposing strict penalties for candidates who provide false information in election affidavits.
Latest India News