Two per cent increase in criminals contesting polls in Delhi

The number of criminal candidates contesting the Delhi elections has gone up. In 2008, 111 criminal candidates contested while this year there is a total of 129 such candidates.

Out of the 796 candidates analysed, 129 candidates (or 16 per cent) have declared criminal cases against them. A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms states that in the 2008 Delhi Assembly elections there were 111 (14 per cent) candidates with declared criminal cases out of 790 candidates analysed.

Out of the 129 candidates who have declared criminal cases, 93 (12 per cent) face serious criminal cases. These include attempt to murder, robbery, dacoity and crime against women.

15 (21 per cent) of the 70 candidates fielded by the Indian National Congress have declared criminal cases against them, while 31 (46 per cent) out of 68 candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party, 14 (21 per cent) out of 67 candidates from Bahujan Samaj Party and 5 (7 per cent) out of 70 candidates from Aam Aadmi Party have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.

Eight (11 per cent) of 70 candidates fielded by INC have declared serious criminal cases against them while 22 (32 per cent) out of 68 candidates from BJP, 12 (18 per cent) out of 67 candidates from BSP and 5 (7 per cent) out of 70 candidates from AAP have declared serious criminal cases in their affidavits.

INC had 30 per cent candidates with criminal cases in the 2008 Assembly Elections, which has gone down to 21 per cent in the 2013 Assembly Elections. BJP had 35 per cent candidates with criminal cases in the 2008 Assembly Elections which has risen to 46% in the 2013 Assembly Elections. BSP had 23 per cent candidates with criminal cases in the 2008 Assembly Elections which has gone down to 21 per cent in 2013.

14 constituencies have at least three candidates from these political parties with declared criminal cases.

*Red Alert Constituencies are those which have three or more candidates with criminal cases standing up for elections. This analysis excludes independent candidates with criminal cases.

One candidate has declared charges relating to causing death by negligence (IPC 304A) and three candidates have declared charges related to attempt to commit culpable homicide (IPC 308) against themselves while 10 candidates declared attempt to murder charges.

Three candidates have declared robbery or dacoity related charges against them.

13 candidates have declared crimes against women. Nine of these 13 candidates have declared charges related to assault or criminal force against woman with intent to outrage her modesty (IPC Section-354). One candidate has declared case related to husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty (IPC Section – 498A) and one candidate declared a case of causing miscarriage without woman's consent (IPC Section-313)

Out of the 796 candidates analysed, 265 (33 per cent) are crorepatis. In the 2008 Delhi Assembly elections there were 180 (23%) crorepati candidates out of 790 candidates analysed.

The average asset per candidate contesting in the 2013 Delhi Assembly Elections is Rs 3.43 crore. Average asset per candidate in 2008 Delhi Assembly elections was Rs 1.77 crore.

Among major parties, the average asset per candidate for INC is Rs 14.25 crore, BJP candidates have an average asset of Rs 8.16 crore, while the average assets of AAP candidates is Rs 2.51 crore.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa of Shiromani Akali Dal from Rajouri Garden constituency has declared highest assets worth Rs 235.51 crore followed by Sushil Gupta of INC from Moti Nagar constituency with declared assets worth Rs164.44 crore and Ashok Kumar Jain of INC from Delhi Cantt constituency with declared assets worth Rs 143.69 crore.