Lok Sabha Election 2019: The efforts to control criminalization of politics do not seem to succeed as every fifth candidate in the 3rd phase has criminal cases pending against them.

Criminalisation of Politics: Any effort to cleanse Indian politics of criminals do not seem to succeed as phase after phase in this Lok Sabha election, the percentage of candidates with criminal records has only gone up. While in the first phase of Lok Sabha election, there were 16% candidates with criminal cases pending against them, the figure went up marginally to 17 percent in the second phase. However, third phase is different as the percentage of candidates with criminal records in this phase suddenly jumped from 16-17 percent to 21 percent, it means that every fifth candidate in this phase has a criminal record.

What is more worrying that of the total candidates with criminal records, two third of them have been charged for serious offences like rape, murder and attempt to murder. This pattern has been applicable to all the candidates with criminal record in each one of these three phases of Lok Sabha election.

Every fifth candidate in third phase has criminal record

There are 1612 candidates in fray for 115 seats that are going to poll in the third phase. ADR has analaysed affidavits of 1594 candidates, nearly 99% of the total candidates in the fray.

340 of total 1612 candidates, 21% candidates have declared criminal cases pending against them in the affidavits filed with Election Commission of India. It’s equally important that how many of them have been facing charges for serious offences like rape, murder, attempt to murder and other such offences that attract imprisonment of more than five years.

In this phase too, more than two-third of the total candidates with criminal records have declared serious charges pending against them.

In this phase, there are 14 candidates who have not only been charged for committing crimes but they have actually been convicted by a court of law after a trial.

Murder, attempt to murder and kidnapping

In the third phase, there are 13 candidates who have been charged for murder (IPC 302), and a large number of candidates, total 30 candidates have declared that they are facing the cases related to attempt to murder (IPC 307).

There are 14 candidates who have been charged for cases related to kidnapping and abduction.

Rape & crimes against women

There are 29 or nearly 9% of the total 340 candidates with criminal records who are facing charges for committing crimes against women such as rape, use of criminal force against women or outraging her modesty or subjecting women to cruelty.

Hate speeches

There are 26 candidates that have cases related to hate speeches pending against them.