MCD polls: 173 candidates with criminal backgrounds -Governance Now

MCD polls: 173 candidates with criminal backgrounds

Five percent of the candidates have declared serious criminal cases including murder, attempt to murder and kidnapping

GN Bureau | April 18, 2017

#MCD elections 2017 #Delhi polls #candidates with criminal cases #ADR #National Election Watch

The municipal elections of Delhi, scheduled for April 23, have 173 candidates with criminal cases against them.

A report by the National Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows that 7 percent of the self-sworn affidavits of 2,315 candidates from 6 national parties, 12 state parties, 7 unrecognised parties and 1,051 independent candidates, contesting in the municipal corporation of Delhi elections, have declared criminal cases.

As many as 222 candidates have not been analysed as their affidavits were not available at the time of making this report. These candidates include the ones from major parties: 22 candidates from the Aam Aadmi Party; 15 from the Indian National Congress; 7 from the Bharatiya Janata Party and 20 candidates from the Bahujan Samaj Party, have not been analysed.

Five percent of the candidates have declared serious criminal against themselves – one candidate Rajesh contesting from South Delhi Municipal Corporation, ward no. 042-S-dichaon kalan from Lok Jan Shakti Party has declared case of murder, 15 candidates have declared cases of attempt to murder and 7 candidates have declared cases of kidnapping.

Out of the 2,315 candidates analysed, 30 percent candidates are crorepatis: 141 (54%) out of 260 candidates from the BJP, 163 (64%) out of 256 candidates from the INC, 104 (42%) out of 250 candidates from the AAP, 41 (22%) out of 191 candidates from the BSP, 9 (24%) out of 38 candidates from the NCP, and 1 (8%) out of 12 candidates fielded by the CPI have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

The average value of assets per candidate contesting in the MCD elections is Rs 1.61 crores.

The average value of assets per candidate among major parties is:

BJP (260 candidates) - Rs 2.89 crores
INC (256 candidates) - Rs 4.36 crores
AAP (250 candidates) - Rs 1.65 crores
BSP (191 candidates) - Rs 89.59 lakhs
NCP (38 candidates) - Rs 92.38 lakhs
CPI(M) (16 candidates) - Rs 19.20 lakhs
CPI (12 candidates) - Rs 23.04 lakhs
1,051 independent candidates - Rs. 97.79 lakhs

Interestingly, there are two candidates who have declared zero assets in their self-sworn affidavits.

The full report can be accessed here

Comments

Other News

Beyond toilets: Why open defecation persists in rural India

Despite the awareness campaigns on sanitation across India, open defecation (OD) is practised openly and widely in both rural and urban areas. Research shows that rural respondents are well aware of the negative impacts of OD, yet this awareness does not lead to toilet construction or use. In rural North I

What unpaid nation builders want from policymakers

The Supreme Court recently described homemakers as “nation builders” and fixed a notional monthly income of Rs 30,000 for them in motor accident compensation cases. The judgment was not about wages. It was about compensation. Yet it inadvertently raised a larger economic question: If a homemake

What the US–Iran peace deal means for India

After months of rising tensions, the United States and Iran have reached a memorandum of understanding called the "Islamabad Agreement." This agreement allows for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and provides Iran with relief from sanctions, depending on its complianc

V. M. Tarkunde: A legal luminary par excellence

14 Lawyers: Portraits from The Bar By Raju Ramachandran Juggernaut, 248 pages, Rs. 799

The Cost of Obesity

The latest episode of Checks and Balances focuses on the ticking time bomb of obesity in India, and Geetanjali Minhas of Governance Now spoke with a panel of experts. You can watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/mH

US-Iran deal: Path to peace or prelude to deeper regional quagmire?

In the midst of deep mistrust, the US and Iran are reported to have reached a framework deal for ending the West Asian conflict. But whether it will result in any meaningful breakthrough or pave the way for any lasting peace in the region, is in the realm of speculation. During