Over a fifth of the candidates contesting the Karnataka Assembly election have declared criminal cases against themselves, a jump since the last election in 2018, a report by the Association of democratic reform (ADR) said on Wednesday. About 22 per cent of the candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. In the 2018 polls, 15 per cent had declared criminal cases.
The report analysed 2,586 candidates, of which 581 are facing criminal charges. If seen party wise, 55 per cent (122) of Congress candidates, 43 per cent (96) of BJP, 34 per cent (70) of Janata Dal Secular (JDS) and 23 per cent (48) candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves.
Of the 2,586 candidates analysed by ADR, 404 or 16 per cent of candidates have declared serious criminal charges against themselves. In 2018, 10 per cent or 254 candidates were facing serious criminal charges.
Congress has 31 per cent, BJP has 30 per cent and JDS has 25 per cent candidates with serious criminal cases, as per the affidavits filed with the Election Commission.
The report has found that 69 out of 221 candidates analysed from Congress, 66 out of 224 candidates analysed from BJP, 52 out of 208 candidates analysed from JD(S) and 30 (14 per cent) out of 208 candidates analysed from AAP are facing serious criminal cases.
Out of these candidates, 49 are facing charges related to crime against women. One candidate has been named in a rape case. Eight candidates have been charged with murder, and 35 with attempt to murder.
The ADR report said there are 111 'red alert' constituencies among the 224 constituencies going to polls. 'Red alert' constituencies are those where three or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases against them. In 2018, the number of such constituencies was 56.
The Representation of People Act, 1951, bars convicted persons from contesting elections unless the sentence is stayed by a court. However, people under trial are still allowed to contest.
The Representation of People Act, 1951, bars convicted persons from contesting elections unless the sentence is stayed by a court. However, people under trial are still allowed to contest.
On February 13, 2020, the Supreme Court instructed political parties to give reasons for selection of candidates having criminal cases and why other individuals without criminal antecedents could not be selected.
"Political parties give unfounded and baseless reasons like popularity of the person, good social work, cases are politically motivated etc. These are not sound and cogent reasons for fielding candidates with tainted backgrounds," said the report.