Lok Sabha elections: 21% phase-4 contestants have criminal cases against them; Telangana tops list

As many as 360 (21%) out of 1,710 candidates contesting in phase-4 of Lok Sabha elections have declared criminal cases against them, according to Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report. While 274 candidates (16%) have serious cases pending against them, 17 declared that they were convicted.

11 candidates declared that they are facing charges under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, which pertains to the offense of murder.

Furthermore, a total of thirty candidates have disclosed that they are confronting legal cases filed against them under Section 307 of the IPC, which deals with the crime of attempted murder.

The data also reveals that among the major political parties , all 3 AIMIM 's candidates have cases against them. Shiv Sena follows with 67% (2 out of 3) of their candidates having criminal records. BRS and INC have 59% (10 out of 17) and 57% (35 out of 61) of their candidates with criminal cases, respectively. BJP also has 57% (40 out of 70) of their candidates declaring criminal cases against themselves. TDP has 53% (9 out of 17) of their candidates with criminal records , while both BJD and RJD have 50% (2 out of 4) of their candidates in the same category. Shivsena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) also has 50% (2 out of 4) of their candidates with declared criminal cases. YSRCP has 48% (12 out of 25) of their candidates with criminal records.

AITC and SP have a lower percentage of candidates with criminal cases, at 38% (3 out of 8) and 37% (7 out of 19), respectively.

Statewise, Telangana tops the list with 104 candidates (out of 524 analysed) having declared criminal cases against them followed by Andhra Pradesh with 88 candidates (450 analysed) having criminal cases against them based on ADR report .

With 4 out of 24 candidates analysed, Jammu and Kashmir has the least number of phase-4 contestants with declared criminal cases.