Twenty three per cent of the 1,475 candidates contesting the first phase of the Bengal Assembly polls have declared criminal cases in their affidavits, according to a report by Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) released on Thursday.
The report, released on the day the Lok Sabha debated the women’s reservation Bill, found that only 11 per cent of candidates in the first phase of polling in Bengal are women.
ADR and Election Watch said three candidates could not be analysed for technical reasons across the 152 seats that will go to the polls on April 23. The election watchdog identified 66 of these as “red alert constituencies,” where three or more candidates contesting have declared criminal cases.
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The total number of candidates with registered serious offences in Bengal stands at 294, accounting for 20 per cent of all those contesting in the first phase.
The BJP has fielded the highest number of candidates with pending criminal cases. Of its 152 candidates, 106 (70 per cent) have declared criminal cases, followed by 63 from the Trinamool, 43 from the CPM and 39 from the Congress.
As many as 96 BJP candidates, or around 63 per cent, have declared serious offences in the affidavits submitted with their nomination papers. In the Trinamool Congress, 48 candidates — about 32 per cent of its 148 nominees — have declared serious offences.
Thirty six of the 98 candidates fielded by the CPM and 33 of the 151 Congress candidates have declared serious offences.
Of the 98 candidates accused in cases related to crimes against women, six have been booked for rape and one for repeated sexual assault of a woman.
The Election Commission, acting on orders passed by the Supreme Court on September 25, 2018, and February 13, 2020, wrote to political parties asking them to explain in writing why they selected candidates with pending criminal cases and why individuals without criminal antecedents could not be nominated.
Parties were also instructed to publish details of the nature of the offences, whether charges have been framed, and the relevant court and case details. The poll panel also stated that parties must provide reasons other than “winnability” for selecting such candidates.
The ADR report noted that many parties cited reasons such as “popularity,” “does good social work,” and claims that cases were “politically motivated” to justify nominating candidates with criminal antecedents.
“This data clearly shows our political parties have no interest in reforming the electoral system and our democracy will continue to suffer in the hands of lawbreakers who become lawmakers,” the report said.
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A total of 309 candidates contesting the first phase have declared assets above Rs 1 crore. Among them, 35 candidates have assets exceeding Rs 10 crore, while 46 have declared assets between Rs 5 crore and Rs 10 crore. Overall, around 15.5 per cent of the candidates — 228 out of 1,475 — have assets above Rs 1 crore.
“The major political parties have fielded between 24 per cent and 72 per cent crorepati candidates, and between 26 per cent and 70 per cent candidates with criminal cases. This close and alarming nexus between money power and muscle power has become deeply ingrained in our political system, leaving citizens hostage to the current situation. Money and muscle power undermine the principles of ‘free and fair elections,’ ‘participatory democracy,’ and a ‘level playing field,’” the report stated.
The Trinamool has the highest number of crorepati candidates at 106, followed by 71 from the BJP. The Congress has fielded 50 such candidates, while the CPM has 24.
There are 718 candidates with assets below Rs 20 lakh and 448 with assets ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore.
The richest candidate in Bengal is Jakir Hossain, the Jangipur MLA seeking re-election on a Trinamool Congress ticket, with declared assets exceeding Rs 133 crore. The Trinamool’s Barjora nominee Goutam Mishra has assets worth Rs 105 crore, while Durgapur Paschim nominee Kabi Dutta is ranked third with assets of Rs 72 crore.
Hossain and Mishra are also among the highest earners, along with fellow Trinamool candidate Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj. In the last financial year, Hossain and Kalyani declared annual incomes exceeding Rs 5 crore, while Mishra reported an income of around Rs 4.77 crore.
There are 708 candidates with educational qualifications ranging from Class V to higher secondary level, 698 who are graduates or above, 26 diploma holders, 29 barely literate candidates, and 14 illiterate nominees in the fray.