After the phase I of voting for the Lok Sabha elections has concluded, India awaits phase II of the elections that are scheduled on Apr 26.
States including Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, J&K, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal are set for phase II elections.
Contenders in the upcoming phase have criminal cases registered against them. One out of every seven candidates have cases pending in a crime, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report.
Out of the 1,192 candidates in the second phase, 167 are facing criminal charges, including three candidates charged with murder, 24 with attempted murder, 25 facing charges related to crimes against women, and 21 for provocative speeches. A total of 32 candidates have declared themselves as being convicted criminals.
‘Red alert’ constituencies
21 candidates embroiled in crime cases belong to BJP while Congress has 22, CPI(M) has 7, SP has 2, JD(U) has 1, and Shiv Sena (UBT) has 1.
In the second phase, 45 constituencies have been placed in the ‘red alert’ category, with three to four candidates facing criminal cases.
Wealthy politicians
According to the ADR report, 390 candidates are contesting the elections who are millionaires.
BJP leads with 64 millionaire candidates, followed by Congress with 62. Other parties include CPI(M) with 12, JD(U) with 5, Shiv Sena (UBT) with 4, and SP with 4.
The average assets of all candidates stand at ₹5.17 crore.
The average wealth of Congress millionaire candidates is ₹39.70 crore and that of BJP candidates is ₹24.68 crore.
Congress candidates leads in assets
Karnataka’s Mandya Lok Sabha constituency candidate Venkataramane Gowda (Star Chadru) has the highest wealth of ₹622.97 crore, followed by Bengaluru Rural candidate DK Suresh who has ₹593.05 crore, while BJP’s Mathura candidate and actress Hema Malini owns assets worth ₹278.93 crore.
Minimalist candidates
An independent candidate from Nanded in Maharashtra has declared that he has only ₹500.
Another candidate from Kasargod in Kerala stands with the second lowest wealth with only ₹1000. Amravati candidate and advocate Prithvi Samrat also has only ₹1400 as his wealth.