Amidst the electoral fervor of the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections, a mere 11 percent of the 904 contenders vying for positions are women. Astonishingly, 22 percent of these aspirants have disclosed records of criminal proceedings against them, while a notable 33 percent lay claim to assets exceeding the crore mark, as disclosed in the latest report by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR).
In a comprehensive scrutiny undertaken by the ADR in collaboration with the National Election Watch, it was revealed that 190 contestants, constituting 22 percent of the total, have criminal charges pending against them, as outlined in their sworn affidavits. The report further delineated that among these, four individuals are embroiled in cases related to homicide, 27 face accusations of attempted murder, and 13 are entangled in legal issues concerning crimes against women, with two among this faction facing allegations of sexual assault, and 25 confronting charges for incendiary rhetoric.
An analysis based on party affiliations exposes a disconcerting trend, with 67 percent of the serious criminal cases attributed to candidates from the Samajwadi Party, 50 percent from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and 35 percent from the Bharatiya Janata Party. These figures underscore a troubling persistence of malpractice despite judicial admonitions.
Turning to matters of financial standing, the report unveils that 299 of the candidates, comprising 33 percent, possess assets surpassing the crore mark. Of these affluent contenders, 111 boast assets exceeding Rs 5 crore, while 84 possess assets ranging between Rs 2-5 crore, and 224 command holdings between Rs 50 lakhs to 2 crores. Conversely, 257 contenders report assets ranging from Rs 10 lakhs to 50 lakhs, while 228 declare holdings below the Rs 10 lakhs threshold.
The wealthiest aspirant, Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal contesting from Bathinda, Punjab, lays claim to assets in excess of Rs 198 crore, closely followed by Baijayant Panda from Odisha and Sanjay Tandon from Chandigarh, both affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, with assets valued at Rs 148 crore+ and Rs 111 crore+ respectively.
The mean assets per contender in this phase stand at Rs. 3.27 crores, with notable disparities evident across party lines. The Shiromani Akali Dal leads with an average asset valuation of Rs. 25.68 crores per candidate, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party with Rs. 18.86 crores. The Samajwadi Party and Indian National Congress trail behind, with average assets per candidate standing at Rs. 14.23 crores and Rs. 12.59 crores respectively.
Conversely, the three candidates with the lowest declared assets are Bhanumati Das of the Utkal Samaj Party from Odisha, Rajiv Kumar Mehra of the Jan Sewa Driver Party from Punjab, and Balaram Mandal, an independent candidate from West Bengal, each reporting assets amounting to a mere Rs 1500 and Rs 2500 respectively.
In terms of educational background, 402 contenders, or 44 percent, hold qualifications ranging from 5th to 12th standard, while 430, or 48 percent, are graduates or possess higher academic credentials. A further 20 contenders hold diplomas, 26 claim to be merely literate, and 24 admit to being illiterate. Notably, two candidates have refrained from disclosing their educational qualifications.
Age-wise, 243 candidates, or 27 percent, fall within the 25 to 40-year bracket, while the majority, comprising 53 percent, are aged between 41 and 60 years. A smaller contingent of 20 percent fall within the 61 to 80-year age bracket, with a mere three candidates declaring an age surpassing 80 years.