LS Polls: 1,644 Candidates Have Criminal Cases Against Them Including 1,188 With Serious Charges

New Delhi: The marathon Lok Sabha elections is entering the home stretch, with the sixth (May 25) and seventh (June 1) phases remaining.

Of the 8,360 candidates who are contesting the polls, 1,644 – that is 19.6 per cent — have criminal cases registered against them.

According to analysis of the data shared by poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 1,188 candidates face serious criminal charges, including allegations related to murder, attempted murder, crimes against women and hate speech.

The phase-wise break-up is as follows:

Phase 1 — Out of 1,618 candidates analysed, 252 have criminal cases and 161 serious criminal cases.

Phase 2 – Out of 1,192 candidates analysed, 250 face criminal charges and 167 serious criminal cases.

Phase 3 — Out of 1,352 candidates, 244 have criminal cases and 172 serious criminal cases.

Phase 4 — Of the 1,710 candidates analysed, 360 have criminal charges against them and 274 serious criminal charges.

Phase 5 – Out of 695 candidates, 159 have criminal cases and 122 serious criminal cases.

Phase 6 — Out of 866 candidates analysed, 180 have criminal cases and 141 have serious criminal cases.

Phase 7 — 199 out of 904 candidates face criminal charges and 151 have serious criminal cases against them.

Affidavits of 8,337 candidates out of a total of 8,360 candidates were analysed by the ADR.