UP polls: 17% nominees in phase IV have criminal records; BJP the main culprit

As Uttar Pradesh prepares to vote in the fourth phase of the ongoing assembly election on 23 February, an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms reveals that 17% of the nominees in the fray have criminal records.

A total of 480 candidates belonging to six national parties, five state parties, and 87 unrecognised parties, and 200 independents are fighting for 53 seats in the fourth phase.

According to the ADR analysis, the BJP leads the way in candidates with criminal records. As many as 19 of its 48 nominees face criminal charges. It is followed by the ruling Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD and Congress with 13, 12, nine and eight such candidates, respectively. Of the 200 independents, at least 24 face criminal charges.

The BJP again leads the list when it comes to nominees with serious criminal charges as declared by them in their affidavits, with 14. The BSP has 10 such candidates, SP 10, RLD eight, Congress five. There are 19 such independents as well.

Also Read: Uttarakhand polls: BJP has the highest number of criminal candidates

In all, seven candidates face charges related to murder and 18 have cases of attempt to murder pending against them. Six are charged with assault or use of criminal force on women with intention to outrage modesty, and 10 with kidnapping for ransom, etc.

The analysis further reveals that of the 53 constituencies, 21 are on “red alert”, meaning they have three or more nominees with declared criminal cases in the fray.

The ADR also analysed the financial condition of the candidates and found that 189 candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore in their affidavits. A party-wise breakup reveals that the BSP has 45 candidates with assets over Rs 1 crore, BJP 36, SP 26, Congress 17, RLD six. There are also 25 crorepati independent candidates. The average wealth per fourth-phase candidate is Rs 1.90 crore.

A party-wise break of the average assets of candidates has the Congress in the lead with Rs 5.98 crore, followed by BJP with Rs 5.96 crore, BSP with 5.82 crore, SP with Rs 4.29 crore and RLD with Rs 75.76 crore. Only 11 candidates, however, have declared annual incomes over Rs 50 lakh.

Interestingly, the candidate of the Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) from Pratapgarh has declared “zero assets” in his self-sworn affidavits.

On liabilities, BJP's Siddharth Nath Singh ranks the highest with declared liabilities of Rs 9 crore as against declared assets of Rs 22 crore. As many as 171 candidates have not given their PAN details to the Election Commission while 406 of the 680 have not declared their income tax details, including 28 of the crorepati nominees.

Among the districts that go to polls on 23 February are some of UP's most impoverished, especially in Bundelkhand region. Despite the tall promises made during elections, most parties have turned a blind eye towards the development of this poverty-stricken region, which has been blighted by drought for several years now and lacks even basic amenities like clean water, electricity, healthcare and roads.

In 2012, despite the SP sweeping the election, the BSP emerged the main force in Bundelkhand, bagging seven seats. However, this time, there is a triangular contest between the SP, BSP and BJP with demonetisation and drought relief being the crucial poll issues.

Also Read: Demonetisation after drought: Bundelkhand's cup of woes runs over