Date: 
16.08.2017

“Criminal cases can be filed against anybody, out of enmity or any other reason. That does not mean the charges have been proved. So there is no point in questioning the candidates over the cases,” said Geeta Jain, BJP corporator and Mayor of Mira Bhayander.

Of the candidates in the fray for the upcoming Mira Bhayander civic polls, those from the BJP and the Shiv Sena have the highest number of criminal cases. Some face serious charges such as criminal intimidation, forgery and cheating.

As per the report by NGO Association of Democratic Reforms and its wing Maharashtra Election Watch, 27 per cent of the BJP’s candidates, 20 per cent of the Sena’s and 14 per cent each of the Congress’s and the NCP’s, have criminal cases against them.
The NGO has defined ‘serious charges’ as those that are non-bailable and attract maximum punishment of five years or more.
Of the 93 candidates of the BJP, 25 have criminal cases, including 18 with serious charges. Eighteen of Shiv Sena’s 92 candidates have criminal cases, including 13 with serious charges. Out of the Congress’s 74, 10 candidates have criminal cases. Five of them face serious charges. Of the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) 63, nine candidates have criminal cases, with seven booked on serious charges.

Other parties such as Bahujan Vikas Aghadi’s three out of 27 candidates and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s two out of 24 candidates have criminal cases against them. The BJP has defended its candidates, saying the charges against them have not been proved.

“Criminal cases can be filed against anybody, out of enmity or any other reason. That does not mean the charges have been proved. So there is no point in questioning the candidates over the cases,” said Geeta Jain, BJP corporator and Mayor of Mira Bhayander.

Out of the total 506 candidates contesting the polls, 297 have declared assets of less than Rs 1 crore. Sixty three BJP candidates, 58 Shiv Sena candidates, 40 Congress candidates and 10 NCP candidates have declared assets worth Rs 1 crore and above. However, The average asset per candidate for the election is Rs 2.46 crore, says the report.

Elections to the 95-member Mira Bhayander civic body will be held on August 20. One seat goes to the Congress unopposed as the nominations of the BJP and the Sena candidates were rejected over caste certificate issues.

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