Mizoram polls: Many crorepatis, few criminals in the fray

Of the 142 candidates contesting in the 2013 Mizoram assembly elections, only three candidates have registered criminal cases against them. Two of them are facing serious criminal charges.

One of the 38 candidates fielded by the Zoram Nationalist Party is facing a criminal case while two of the 31 candidates from the Mizo National Front have mentioned criminal cases in their affidavits.

Of the 142 contesting candidates, 75 are crorepatis. The average asset per candidate contesting in the 2013 Mizoram assembly elections is Rs 2.31 crore.

The average asset per candidate for the Congress’s 40 candidates is Rs.2.52 crore, for 38 ZNP candidates the average is Rs 3.13 crore, for MNF’s 31 candidates it is Rs 2.69 crore and the average assets of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 17 candidates is Rs 10.05 lakh.

The top three candidates with highest declared assets are R Lalawia of ZNP from Serlui Constituency with declared assets worth Rs 68.69 crore followed by K Sangthuama of MNF from Aizawl-West -1 constituency with assets worth Rs 25.57 crore and Rinzawna of ZNP from Aizawl-South-2 constituency with assets worth Rs 12.19 crore.

As many as 40 candidates have declared liabilities of Rs 10 lakh and above.

The top three candidates with highest declared liabilities are Congress leader Chalrosanga Ralte from Lunglei West constituency with a liability of Rs 2.6 crore, followed by Gogo Lalremtluanga of MNF from Tuivawl constituency with liabilities worth Rs.1.02 crore and Hmingdailova Khiangte of INC from Tuirial constituency with Rs1 crore worth of liabilities.

The Mizoram Election Watch and the Association of Democratic reforms, which have prepared this report, state that 66 re-contesting candidates, who had fought the state elections in 2008, candidates have been analysed for the Mizoram polls. The average asset of the 66 re-contesting candidates fielded by various parties in 2008 was Rs 74.54 lakh.

The average asset of these re-contesting candidates now in 2013 is Rs 2.61 crore.

Average percentage growth in assets for these re-contesting candidates is a whopping 250 per cent!

Image: Voters wait for their turn to cast their ballots outside a polling booth in Naishing Para area in Mizoram ' Photograph: Jayanta Dey/Reuters