Preliminary analysis done by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows that parties cutting across Karnataka have fielded candidates with criminal or serious criminal records. The data goes on to show that Congress has fielded 32 per cent candidates with criminal cases, for BJP it stands at 27 per cent and for the JD-S at 29 per cent.
All the parties also ended up fielding candidates with serious criminal cases, too. The percentage for BJP stands at 17 per cent, 16 per cent for Congress, and for JD-S 16 per cent.
The list also shows that crorepati candidates have been able to muscle into seat distribution. The list of crorepati candidates who got nominated again from Congress stands at 134, for BJP it is 97, and for JD-S it is 46. If we look it at from the percentage points then for BJP it stands at 87 per cent, for Congress at 91 per cent and for JD-S at 79 per cent. As of now, BJP has announced a list of 154 candidates, Congress 218, and JD-S 126.
All the political parties are expected to announce the remaining number of seats soon. The initial list of candidates had created internal problems for both the BJP and the Congress.
The ADR also provides the average asset of a re-contesting corepati candidate. The average asset for such a millionaire in BJP is Rs 8 crore, for Congress it is Rs 28 crore, and for JD-S it stands at Rs 14 crore. Elections in Karnataka are being keenly watched as its results, like Gujarat, will have national repercussion for both the BJP and the Congress.