Of the 685 candidates contesting in the fifth round of the ongoing seven-phase Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, about 185 or 27% have declared criminal cases against themselves.
Leading the pack in this phase is the Samajwadi Party, which has 42 (71%) out of 59 candidates with criminal cases lodged against them, according to an Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report released on Monday.
The Apna Dal (Soneylal) led by union minister Anupriya Patel, which is a partner of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has seven candidates in this phase of whom four (57%) have criminal records. As many as 25 (48%) of the 52 fifth phase candidates analyzed from the BJP have similar records followed by the Bahujan Samaj Party with 23 (38%) out of its 61.
The Congress, pitching its campaign around women voters in the state, too has fielded 23 or 38% candidates with criminal cases against them. The Delhi-based Aam Aadmi Party has 10 (19%) out of 52 candidates in this phase with a declared criminal history.
The ADR report is based on the “self-sworn affidavits of 685 candidates out of 693, who are contesting in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections Phase V in the 61 constituencies” going for polls on February 27.
Of the total candidates analysed, “141 (21%) have declared serious criminal cases against themselves”, the report said.
According to it, “29 (49%) out of 59 candidates analyzed from SP, 2 (29%) out of 7 candidates analyzed from Apna Dal Soneylal, 22 (42%) out of 52 candidates analyzed from BJP, 17 (28%) ) out of 61 candidates analyzed from BSP, 17 (28%) out of 61 candidates analyzed from INC and 7 (14%) out of 52 candidates analyzed from AAP have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits”.
The “serious criminal cases”, according to the ADR, are those offenses for which maximum punishment is of five years or more, is non-bailable, an electoral offence, crime against women, etc.
A total of 12 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women while one faces a charge of rape. Eight candidates have murder cases against them; 31 face attempt to murder charges.
Over two-thirds or 39 of the 61 constituencies are ‘red alert’ seats, ie, those where three or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves.
In a scathing remark, the ADR report says that despite the Supreme Court’s direction there is “no effect on the political parties in selection of candidates in Phase V” as they “have again followed their old practice of giving tickets to around 27% candidates with criminal cases”.
The report’s findings on the wealth of the candidates say that “Out of the 685 candidates, 246 (36%) are crorepatis”, underlining the role of money in electoral contests.
Among the major parties, the ruling BJP has the most number of crorepati candidates, while AAP has the least.
“47(90%) out of 52 candidates analyzed from BJP, 6 (86%) out of 7 candidates analyzed from Apna Dal Soneylal, 49 (83%) out of 59 candidates analyzed from SP” as well as “44 (72%) ) out of 61 candidates analyzed from BSP, 30 (49%) out of 61 candidates analyzed from INC and 11(21%) out of 52 candidates analyzed from AAP have declared assets valued more than Rs 1 crore”.
BJP’s candidate from Tiloi in Amethi, Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh, is the richest phase 5 candidate with declared assets of over Rs 58 crore, while Hira Mani, an independent candidate from Partapur in Prayagraj, has total assets of just Rs 8,000.
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