Delhi Elections: 114 Candidates Have Criminal Cases
Among the parties, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the maximum number of candidates with criminal cases closely followed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress.
A leading think tank Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) supported by a political watchdog Delhi Election Watch has released today the information about political parties and their candidates who will be contesting the 2015 Delhi Assembly Elections on Feb. 7.
According to ADR, there are 70 political parties fielding candidates in these elections while there are 66 (10%) female candidates out of 673 candidates contesting this year.
Among various parameters such as candidates’ financial background and education, the ADR report focuses on their criminal records. According to ADR, its report is based on the sworn affidavits of all 673 candidates who are contesting in the Delhi Elections.
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It says there are 114 (17%) out of 673 candidates who have declared criminal cases against themselves. And the percentage of candidates with criminal records has been increasing over the years.
During the previous Delhi Assembly elections in 2013, out of 796 candidates analysed, 130 (16%) candidates had declared criminal cases against themselves and in the 2008 Delhi Assembly elections, out of 790 candidates analysed, 111 (14%) candidates had declared criminal cases against themselves.
According to ADR report, 74 (11%) candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves. During the previous Delhi Assembly elections in 2013, out of 796 candidates analysed, 94 (12%) candidates had declared serious criminal cases against themselves.
Among the parties, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the maximum number of candidates with criminal cases closely followed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress.
The report reveals that 27 (39%) out of 69 candidates from BJP, 23 (33%) out of 70 candidates from AAP, 21 (30%) out of 70 candidates from INC (Congress), 12 (17%) out of 70 candidates from BSP, 1 candidate fielded by SAD and 15 (8%) out of 195 independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
Moreover, 17 (25%) out of 69 candidates from BJP, 14 (20%) out of 70 candidates from AAP, 11 (16%) out of 70 candidates from INC, 11 (16%) out of 70 candidates from BSP, 1 candidate fielded by SAD and 9 (5%) out of 195 independent candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
The report also reveals that there are candidates with cases of murder, attempt to murder, and serious crimes against women.
ADR says it has compiled the data with the aim to inform voters. It obtained candidates’ affidavits from the Election Commission of India (ECI) website while nomination papers is the source of this analysis. You can read the full report.
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) was established in 1999 by a group of professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.
Data courtesy: ADR
