Out of 1,581 (33%) MPs/ MLAs analysed with declared criminal cases, 51 have declared cases related to crimes against women, reveal a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch. Both the organisations have analysed 4,852 out of 4,896 election affidavits of current MPs and MLAs. It includes 774 out of 776 affidavits of MPs and 4,078 out of 4120 MLAs from all the states of India.

Major findings:
 

•     Among these 51 MPs/MLAs with declared cases related to crimes against women, 48 are MLAs and 3 are MPs.
   
•     334 candidates analysed who had declared cases related to crimes against women, were given tickets by recoginised political parties.
   
•     122 independent candidates analysed with declared cases related to crimes against women had contested for Lok/Rajya and state assembles’ elections in last five years.
   
•     Among these candidates, 40 candidates were given tickets by parties for Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha elections. Various recognised parties have given tickets to 294 candidates with cases related to crimes against women for state assemblies’ elections.
   
•     In the last 5 years, 19 independent candidates with declared cases related to crimes against women contested in the Lok / Rajya Sabha elections. Similarly, 103 independent candidates with declared cases related to crimes against women contested in the state assemblies’ elections.
   
•      Among the states, Maharashtra has the highest number of MPs/ MLAs i.e. 12, followed by West Bengal with 11 and Odisha with 6 MPs/MLAs who have declared cases related crimes against women.
   
•     Among the states in the last 5 years, Maharashtra has the highest number of candidates i.e. 65, followed by Bihar with 62 and West Bengal with 52 candidates who were given tickets by political parties even though they have declared cases related to crimes against women in their affidavits.
   
•     Among various recognised parties, BJP has the highest number of MPs/ MLAs i.e. 14, followed by Shiv Sena with 7 and AITC (All India Trinamool Congress) with 6 MPs/MLAs who have declared cases related to crimes against women.
   
•     Among the major parties in the last 5 years, 48 candidates with declared cases related to crimes against women were given tickets by BJP. The second highest number of candidates, i.e. 36 who had declared cases related to crimes against women were given tickets by BSP, followed by 27 candidates from INC who had declared cases related to crimes against women who had contested for Lok/Rajya Sabha and state assemblies elections in last 5 years.

Following are the four MLAs who have declared cases related to rape:
 

•    Gonuguntla Suryanarayana from TDP who has won from Dharmavaram constituency in Andhra Pradesh (2014)

•    Subal Sahu from INC who has won from Bijepur constituency in Odisha(2014)

•    Jethabhai G.Ahir from BJP who has won from Shehra constituency in Gujarat (2012)

•    Gulab Yadav from RJD who has won from Jhanjharpur constituency in Bihar(2015)

In the last 5 years, recognised parties have given tickets to 29 candidates who had declared cases related to rape. In the same time period, 14 independent candidates with declared cases related to rape have contested for Lok/Rajya Sabha and state assemblies’ elections.