UP polls 2017: Mr Modi, how will you defeat SCAM? BJP tops list of candidates with criminal cases

UP polls 2017: Mr Modi, how will you defeat SCAM? BJP tops list of candidates with criminal cases

An analysis of candidates of all parties in the fray for the first phase of the crucial assembly polls reveals that the BJP holds first position in fielding candidates with criminal background.

A total of 73 assembly seats will go to poll on February 11. The saffron party has fielded candidates on all seats. Some 40% of 73 candidates (i.e. 29) have declared criminal cases pending against them while 30% (i.e. 22) have serious criminal cases.

The BJP is followed by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) with having 38% (i.e. 28) candidates with criminal cases and 33% (i.e. 19) respectively, revealed the analysis by poll watch dogs Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Uttar Pradesh Election Watch.

While 15 (29%) out of 51 candidates from the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), 6 (25%) out of 24 candidates from Indian National Congress (INC) and 38 (13%) out of 293 independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

The analysis is based on the self-sworn affidavits of 836 out of 839 candidates who will try their luck in the first phase. Some 168 of them (20%) have declared criminal cases against themselves. Among them 143 (17%) candidates have declared serious criminal cases, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, crimes against women etc.

Candidates with serious criminal cases

With 26 (36%) out of 73 candidates, the BSP tops the list of candidates with serious criminal cases. It is followed by the BJP with 22 (30%) such candidates and the RLD with 15 (26%) out of 57 candidates.

While the Smajwadi Party is contesting with 13 (26%) out of 51 candidates who have declared serious criminal cases against themselves, the Congress has no such candidates among its 24 candidates.

Every third candidate is crorepati

The analysis also reveals the wealth share among the candidates, where BSP has the highest number of crorepati candidates. There are 66 (90%) out of 73 candidates from the BSP contesting in the first phase followed by the BJP with 61 (i.e 84%) crorepati candidates.

While the ruling SP has 40 (78%) such candidates out of 51 and its ally Congress has 18 (75%) out of 24 candidates.

There 41 (72%) out of 57 candidates from the RLD and 43 (15%) out of 293 independent candidates who have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.

Out of the 836 candidates analysed, 302 (36%) are crorepatis.

So, 5th to 12th pass will make policies for you

As far as educational background of the contestants in first phase is concerned, there are only 336 (40%) out of 836 graduate. While 402 (48%) candidates have declared their educational qualification to be between 5th and 12th standard.

Among the total 836, 64 candidates have declared themselves to be just literates and 15 candidates have declared to be illiterate.

The gender-wise analysis shows that 70 (8%) out of 836 candidates are female.