In phase 1 of UP polls, every one in four candidates has a criminal case registered against them
BJP has a maximum of 29 candidates with criminal cases against them, followed by Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal with 21 and 17 respectively
BJP and AAP have fielded 7 women candidates in the assembly elections while SP and RLD have fielded only 2 women candidates each
In phase 1 of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022, every one in four candidates has a criminal case registered against them, according to the data collated by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). A total of 615 candidates are in the fray while 156 of them have declared to have criminal cases against them. Out of these, 120 candidates have reported serious criminal cases against themselves. Serious criminal cases mainly include offenses that have a maximum punishment of five years or more and offences that are non-bailable.
BJP has maximum number of candidates with Criminal Cases
Candidates with Criminal Cases in Phase I of UP Election
Among the political parties in the fray, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a maximum of 29 candidates with criminal cases against them, as per the ADR report. It is followed by Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) with 21 and 17, respectively. Congress, too, has fielded 21 candidates that have declared criminal cases against them, the report further adds.
A total of 12 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women while one of those is charged with a case of rape, according to the ADR report. The candidates with cases related to murder or attempt to murder are 36 in total. As per the report, over half of the constituencies (31 out of 58) have three or more candidates with declared criminal cases against them.
The Crorepatis
Almost half of the candidates from phase 1 of the UP polls are crorepatis or have declared a wealth of worth over Rs 1 crore, reveals the ADR report. A total of 280 candidates fall under this category.
Almost half of candidates in fray are Crorepatis
Candidates based on their wealth declaration
The report categorises candidates according to their wealth declaration. Overall 17 percent (or 104 candidates) have declared wealth worth more than Rs 5 crore. This is the highest wealth category. Further, 84 candidates fall in the band of Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore of declared wealth. Maximum candidates from phase 1 have wealth of worth up to Rs 2 crore, the ADR report shows.
Almost all the candidates from RLD and BJP are crorepatis, as per the data. Meanwhile, over 80 percent of the candidates from SP and BSP are also known to be crorepatis based on their declared wealth. Aam Admi Party (AAP) has fielded the least number of crorepati candidates.
Women power
As declared earlier, Congress has went on to field maximum women candidates in the UP assembly elections. The report said nearly 28 per cent (16 out of 58 candidates) of Congress candidates are women.
Congress has fielded most number of women candidates
Party wise gender details of candidates
It is followed by BJP and AAP who have fielded 7 women candidates in the assembly elections. SP and RLD have fielded only 2 women candidates each in the first phase of the election. The report shows that a total of 74 women candidates are in the fray in the first phase.