Source: 
Twocircles.net
http://twocircles.net/?q=2010sep25/bihar_election_appeal_parties_field_only_clean_candidates.html
Date: 
25.09.2010
City: 
Patna

>Patna: The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) have demanded political parties and voters to keep this Bihar assembly election free of candidates having criminal backgrounds. Candidates with pending criminal cases against them should not be given tickets by political parties.

“An attempt must be made to change the trend which existed in the Bihar assembly election, 2005. Parties before releasing their list of candidates for the elections should make sure that they do not field any candidates with criminal backgrounds. They should be able to find clean candidates to represent their parties and hence give the voters a choice to choose non tainted candidates,” the groups said in an appeal yesterday.

In 2005 Assembly election, 358 candidates with pending criminal cases contested elections from major parties including LJP, RJD, JD(U), BJP, BSP, INC, CPI(M)(L)(L) and CPI. As many as 117 current MLAs, (i.e. 50%) have pending criminal cases against them according to declarations during last elections.

KJ Rao, election observer for 2005 Bihar elections and a member of National Election Watch said, “Political parties are the pillars of the Democracy and if they give tickets to law breakers and allow them to become lawmakers, we can imagine the fate of our country. It is high time that the voters become wise and do not vote to any candidate who has criminal background irrespective of the party who sets him up.”

Former DGP Prakash Singh, a member of National Election Watch said, “Most parties are now lobbying to get the well known criminals to their side. The criminals should be in jail and not be contesting elections. The biggest threat to our democracy today is the criminalization of politics and if the parties are doing a great disservice to the nation by giving tickets to these criminals.”

Anjesh Kumar, State Coordinator of Bihar Election Watch said, “On Jan 25th , 2010 both the Congress Chief Ms Sonia Gandhi and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Ms Sushma Swaraj of BJP made public statements calling for a consensus on barring candidates with criminal backgrounds. Leaders of other parties have made similar declarations. Political Parties should now ensure that this is enforced and not give tickets to criminals.”

The ADR and NEW also released a report consisting analysis of Candidates and MLAs with Pending Criminal cases in Bihar 2005 Assembly Elections.

Highlights of the Analysis:
1) All major parties: LJP, RJD, JD(U), BJP, BSP, INC, CPI(M)(L)(L) & CPI had candidates with pending criminal cases.

2) Out of the 919 candidates, 358 or 39% declared pending criminal cases against them. 213 out of these 358 candidates had serious criminal cases like murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping,
robbery, extortion etc. pending against them.

3) Among the major parties BJP had the maximum percentage of candidates with pending criminal cases (53%) followed by LJP, RJD and JD (U) who each had 44% candidates with pending criminal cases against them.

4) INC had 39% candidates with pending criminal cases. While CPI had 32% and BSP had 18%
candidates with pending criminal cases.

5) Out of 233 MLAs analyzed, 117(50%) MLAs had pending criminal cases against them when
elected.
6) 39 MLAs from JD (U), 32 from BJP, 19 from RJD, 6 from LJP and 3 from INC had pending criminal cases against them when they were elected.

7) MLAs like Amarnath Yadav (CPIM-LL) from Darauli, Rajesh Kumar Raushan (RJD) from Kesariya and Manoranjan Singh (JDU) from Baniapur, all were charged with more than 15 IPC sections related to murder, kidnapping and robbery.

© Association for Democratic Reforms
Privacy And Terms Of Use
Donation Payment Method