This episode of ADR's podcast series discusses analysis of Bihar 2015 Election Candidates, and Chances of Winning of Crorepati Candidates and Candidates with Criminal Background. The topic becomes more relevant in light of the upcoming Bihar elections, which is scheduled to be held in October 2020, to elect 243 members.
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Introduction 00:09
Hello, everyone! My name is Bipasha Nath, and I am a Program Associate at ADR. Welcome to our latest podcast episode on Analysis of Bihar 2015 Election Candidates, and Chances of Winning of Crorepati Candidates and Candidates with Criminal Background. In this section, we will be discussing the nexus between crime, money, and elections with a special focus on Bihar.
Overview 00:35
The upcoming Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in October 2020, to elect 243 members. In 2015, the Bihar Assembly elections saw the highest voter turnout of 56.8% since the year 2000. The resulting outcome had seen Rashtriya Janata Dal leading with 81 seats, followed by Janata Dal (United) with 70 seats and Bharatiya Janata Party with 53 seats. In terms of vote share, Bharatiya Janata Party came first with 24.4%, followed by Rashtriya Janata Dal with 18.4%, Janata Dal (United) with 16.8%, and Indian National Congress with 6.7%. The current NDA government was formed on 27 July, 2017, consisting of 73 MLAs from Janata Dal (United), 53 from Bharatiya Janata Party, 2 from Lok Janshakti Party and 4 Independent MLAs.
Relevance of the topic 01:32
In the 2015 Assembly elections, Bihar was the first state to have photo electoral rolls, with photographs of candidates on Electronic Voting Machines. Bihar assembly elections 2020 will witness two new features. Firstly, as per Supreme Court's directions, political parties will be required to give reasons for fielding candidates with criminal background. This move, which has been lauded by the Election Commission of India, promises to act as a deterrent for the increased participation of tainted candidates over the years. Secondly, the postal ballot rules will be applicable for voters over the age of 80 years, the differently-abled, or those suffering from novel coronavirus, and are either in home or institutional quarantine. Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, to ensure social distancing, Election Commission of India stated that it has limited the number of voters to 1,000 in each booth for ease of voting. It also said it has created additional 34,000 polling stations, which roughly equals to 45%, more and will also increase the number of polling stations to 1 lakh 6 thousand.
ADR Report 02:45
A report produced by ADR titled “Analysis of Criminal, Financial, Education, Gender and other background details of Sitting MLAs in Bihar Assembly Election, 2015 brings various factors into the limelight, and helps us make a quick assessment of the state’s political environment.
Key Findings 03:05
Some of the findings include -
- Out of 243 sitting MLAs analysed, 137 or 56% MLAs had declared criminal cases against themselves, 94 or 39% had declared serious criminal cases, 11 MLAs had cases related to murder, and 5 had cases related to crime against women.
- As per a party-wise analysis, 45 or 56% out of 81 MLAs from Rashtriya Janata Dal, 34 or 50% out of 68 MLAs from Janata Dal (United), 34 or 63% out of 54 MLAs from Bharatiya Janata Party, 15 or 58% out of 26 MLAs from Indian National Congress and 100% out of 2 MLAs from Lok Janshakti Party had declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
- Further, 33 or 41% out of 81 MLAs from Rashtriya Janata Dal, 26 or 38% out of 68 MLAs from Janata Dal (United), 19 or 35% out of 54 MLAs from Bharatiya Janata Party, 10 or 38% out of 26 MLAs from Indian National Congress and 1 or 50% out of 2 MLAs from Lok Janshakti Party had declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
- Considering the financial background of candidates, out of 243 sitting MLAs analysed, 162 or 67% were crorepatis. From a party-wise perspective, 52 or 76% out of 68 MLAs from Janata Dal (United), 51or 63% out of 81 MLAs from Rashtriya Janata Dal, 33 or 61% out of 54 MLAs from Bharatiya Janata Party, 18 or 69% out of 26 MLAs from Indian National Congress and 100% out of 2 MLAs from Lok Janshakti Party had declared assets valued more than 1 crore.
- Other background details include 94 or 39% MLAs declaring their educational qualification to be between 5th pass and 12th pass, 137 or 56% MLAs declaring an educational qualification of graduate or above, and 9 MLAs declaring just literate. Further, 128 or 53% MLAs had declared their age to be between 25 and 50 years while 115 or 47% MLAs had declared their age to be between 51 and 80 years. Notably, out of 243 MLAs analysed, only 28 12% MLAs were women.
- Interestingly, a comprehensive report produced by ADR on Bihar’s political scenario reveals that there is a 56% chance of winning an election for those with criminal records, which is much higher than a 44% chances of winning for a candidate with a clean record.
Conclusion 06:14
The Supreme Court’s directions asking political parties to give reasons for fielding candidates with criminal cases has come as a much-needed intervention. Before the introduction of EVMs for casting the votes, Bihar has had a long history of electoral malpractices such as booth capturing, electoral violence, and existence of various armed senas. Hence the successful implementation of the Supreme Court's new regulations on electoral malpractices will ensure a stronger incentive for other states to follow suit. The priority, therefore, must remain on greater transparency and accountability in the political system.
(06:51) If you wish to learn more about ADR’s contributions in this matter, make sure you subscribe to the podcast on our website: adrindia.org or write to us at [email protected] with your feedback. We will be back in two weeks with another amazing episode. So stay tuned, and thank you for listening.
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