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An intensive report by the Association of Democratic Reforms reveals the background details of candidates contesting in the first phase of the 2019 general elections.

Among all the candidates contesting for Phase 1 of the upcoming elections, the Indian National Congress (INC) has the highest number of candidates with self-declared criminal cases (35) and assets more than Rs. 1 crore (69), according to a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms.

The Bharatiya Janata Party trails behind closely with 30 candidates declaring criminal cases against themselves and 65 candidates with assets more than Rs. 1 crore.

On April 11, 2019, 1266 candidates will contest for 91 constituencies out of 545, in the first phase of the 7-phase election.

Image shows the map of India, highlighting the constituencies in Phase 1 of elections

Candidates are required to declare their assets, income and details of criminal cases against them, if any, in the affidavits that are filed in with the candidature.

Association for Democratic Reforms compiled the details provided in the affidavits in a database to gain insights into the demographics of the candidates contesting in the first phase of elections.

Money And Crime In The South

The report also reveals that 100% of the 25 candidates representing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and 17 candidates representing Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Phase 1 are crorepatis.

Andhra Pradesh’s YSR Congress Party has the highest percentage of candidates with self-declared criminal cases. Of their overall candidates, 52% have declared some form of criminal case or the other, against themselves.

Furthermore, Andhra Pradesh stands out as the state with the highest number of candidates with self-declared criminal cases (67) and assets worth more than Rs. 1 crore (132).

Education and Age

With regards to education, 61% of the candidates have achieved an education level of 12th grade and above, while 5.2% of the candidates have declared themselves as illiterate.

Youth representation is meagre, with only 8% of the candidates falling in the age group of 25-30 years, while most of the candidates are 41-50 years old. There are 2 candidates who are above 80 years of age.