27% Of 70 Winning Candidates Have Declared Criminal Cases, ADR Analysis Shows
As many as 27 percent of the 70 candidates who have won the Uttarakhand assembly polls have declared criminal charges against themselves, according to the electoral reform advocacy group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The ADR said that, together with Uttarakhand Election Watch, it had analyzed the affidavits of the 70 winning candidates.
Of the 70 winning candidates analyzed in 2022, 19 (27%) winning candidates have declared criminal cases. Of the 70 MLAs tested during the Uttarakhand assembly elections in 2017, 22 (31%) MLAs declared criminal cases, the ADR said.
The electoral reform advocacy group further said that 10 (14%) of the winning candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves. The ADR said that eight (17%) of the 47 winning candidates from the BJP, eight (42%) of the 19 winning candidates from Congress, one (50%) of the two winning candidates from the BSP and two (100%) from the independents have declared criminal cases in their affidavits. About five (11%) of the 47 winning BJP candidates, four (21%) of the 19 winning Congress candidates and one (50%) of the two independents have declared serious criminal cases, the ADR said.
Of the 70 winning candidates analyzed, 58 (83%) are crorepatis. This number was 51 (73%) in 2017. The ADR said that 40 (85%) out of 47 from the BJP, 15 (79%) out of 19 from Congress, both winning candidates from the BSP and one (50%) out of two independents have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.
The BJP returned to power in Uttarakhand after winning 47 of 70 seats in the assembly polls. Under the ADR criteria, a serious criminal case refers to any offense for which there is a maximum sentence of five years or more, or if not subject to bail, an election offense (for example, IPC 171E or bribery). Crimes related to loss of treasure, assault, murder, kidnapping, rape related, mentioned in the Representation of the People Act (Section 8), those under the Prevention of Corruption Act and crimes against women are also considered serious criminal cases.