The 16th Lok Sabha will have the highest number of MPs with criminal cases against them. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which analysed the election affidavits filed before the Election Commission, 34 per cent of the new MPs face criminal charges. The percentage in 2009 and 2004 stood at 30 and 24 respectively.
RJD tops the list Among the major parties, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leads the table with all its four MPs facing criminal charges, followed by the Shiv Sena (15 of 18 MPs) and the Nationalist Congress Party (4 of 5 MPs). Over a third of the BJP’s new MPs are facing criminal charges and over a fifth face serious criminal charges. For the Congress, the proportion is lower at 18 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.
Across parties, candidates facing criminal charges were more than twice as likely to win as compared to those with a clean record, the ADR data shows.
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have the highest number of candidates with criminal cases against them.
Richest House As many as 82 per cent of the new MPs have assets worth over Rs. 1 crore each, making it the richest Lok Sabha as compared to 2009 (58 per cent) and 2004 (30 per cent).
Three parties from Andhra Pradesh — TDP, TRS and YSRCP — have the richest MPs with average assets worth over Rs. 50 crore. India’s richest MP — TDP’s Jayadev Galla of Guntur — is worth Rs. 683 crore.
The average Congress MP is worth over Rs. 16 crore while the BJP MPs, on an average, have assets over Rs. 11 crore. The CPI(M) has the poorest candidates, with average assets of Rs. 79 lakh. Trinamool Congress’ Uma Saren is the poorest MP with assets under Rs. 5 lakh.
