Out of 6,318 candidates contesting in Assembly elections in four states and a UT, 18 % have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to a report by poll rights group ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms).
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The National Election Watch and Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 6,318 out of 6,792 candidates who contested in the Union Territory of Puducherry and the four states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal till Phase 3 of Assembly polls.
Out of 6,318 candidates analysed, 1,157 (18%) have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits and 632 (10%) candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves. As many as 1,317 (21%) are crorepatis.
Of the 6,318 candidates, 567 were analysed from West Bengal (till phase 3) out of which 144 (25%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 121 (21%) declared serious criminal cases against themselves, the report said.
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Of the 3,559 candidates analysed from Tamil Nadu, 466 (13%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 207 (6%) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
Of the 928 candidates analysed from Kerala, 355 (38%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 167 (18%) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
Of the 941 candidates analysed from Assam, 138 (15%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 109 (12%) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
Of the 323 candidates analysed from Puducherry, 54 (17%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 28 (9%) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
Among major political parties, 143 of the 191 candidates (75%) from DMK have declared criminal cases against them and 55 (29%) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
In AIADMK, of the 197 candidates analysed as many as 50 (25 %) declared criminal cases against themselves and 21 (11 %) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
In AITC, of the 107 candidates analysed as many as 29 (27%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 23 (21 %) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
In the BJP, of the 319 candidates analysed as many as 163 (51%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 108 (34 %) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
In Congress, of the 239 candidates analysed as many as 132 (55%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 82 (34 %) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
In CPI(M), of the 126 candidates analysed as many as 77 (61%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 39 (31 %) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
In CPI, of the 35 candidates analysed as many as 14 (40%) declared criminal cases against themselves and 3 (9%) declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
The report further said that there are 191 (31%) out of 621 constituencies having 3 or more candidates with declared criminal cases which it called ‘Red Alert Constituencies’.
About 74 of these Red Alert Constituencies were in Tamil Nadu, 75 in Kerala, 21 in West Bengal, 13 in Assam and eight in Puducherry.
The Assam Assembly polls will be conducted in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6, while polling for the Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Assembly elections will take place in a single phase on April 6.
Elections for the West Bengal Assembly are being held in eight phases beginning with polling continuing till April 29, while counting of votes for the four states and one union territory will be done on May 2.