In the fifth phase of the elections, 695 candidates are contesting for 49 Lok Sabha seats across eight states and union territories.

A recent report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch show that 159 candidates, accounting for 23%, have declared criminal cases against themselves.

The report also points out to 122 candidates(18%) facing serious criminal charges, including those related to murder, attempted murder, and crimes against women.

Among these, 28 candidates are charged with attempted murder (IPC Section 307), and four candidates have murder charges (IPC Section 302).

Additionally, one candidate is charged with rape (IPC Section 376), part of the 29 candidates accused of crimes against women. The analysis also points out that ten candidates have cases related to giving inflammatory speeches, which can incite violence and create communal discord.

Among the major parties, the analysis reveals that 50% of candidates from the Samajwadi Party (SP), Shiv Sena, and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) have declared criminal cases against themselves, with 5 out of 10 candidates from SP, 3 out of 6 candidates from Shiv Sena, and 2 out of 4 candidates from AIMIM.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 19 out of 40 candidates, or 48%, with declared criminal cases. Similarly, the Indian National Congress (INC) has 8 out of 18 candidates (44%), the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has 3 out of 7 candidates (43%), and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has 3 out of 8 candidates (38%) with criminal cases. Additionally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has 1 out of 4 candidates (25%) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has 1 out of 5 candidates (20%) with declared criminal cases against themselves.