AAP’s 18% candidates facing criminal charges

NEW DELHI, NOV 27: The ruling BJP has given tickets to the maximum number of crorepatis candidates while the AAP has given tickets to 18 per cent candidates facing criminal charges, for the upcoming MCD polls.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 1,336 candidates out of 1,349 who are contesting the MCD polls to be held on December 4 which shows that the ruling BJP has given ticket to 162 candidates who are crorepatis while 148 contesting candidates are crorepati.

The  107 candidates are from Congress who are crorepati or declared assets valued more than one crore.  The average of assets per candidate contesting in this election is Rs 2.27 crore, up from Rs 1.61 crore in 2017. The average assets per candidate for BJP is Rs 4.04 crore. For AAP candidates, it is Rs 3 74 crore and for Congress it is Rs 1.98 crore. This time, 556 (42%) candidates are crorepatis.

 In 2017 MCD polls,  there were 697 (30 per cent) crorepati candidates, the report said. “The role of money power in our elections is evident from the fact that all major political parties give tickets to wealthy candidates,” the report said.

BJP’s Ram Dev Sharma, who is contesting from the 79-Ballimaran ward, has declared total assets worth over Rs 66 crore. Nandini Sharma, who is representing the party from 149-Malviya Nagar ward, has declared assets over Rs 49.84 crore, while Jitender Bansala, AAP nominee from 248-Karawal Nagar, has showed assets worth over Rs 48.27 crore in their affidavits. Similarly, the AAP has fielded the maximum 45 candidates with criminal records in municipal elections this year while the BJP has 27 such candidates.

The AAP has pitched 250 candidates, out of which 248 self sworn-affidavits were analysed by the ADR and 18 per cent of them i.e., 45 have criminal records, the report said.

Moreover, at least eight per cent of the AAP candidates have serious criminal cases against them, the ADR  report said adding in the 2017 polls, 173 (7%) out of 2,315 candidates had declared criminal cases against themselves. It also said that 76 (6 per cent) candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves. This number was 116 in 2017. Meanwhile, the BJP, which has also pitched 250 candidates, has 27 candidates (11 per cent) with criminal records and the Congress has fielded 25 such candidates.

“45 (18 per cent) out of 248 candidates analysed from AAP, 27 (11 per cent) out of 249 candidates analysed from BJP and 25 (10 per cent) out of 245 candidates analysed from INC have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits,” the report mentioned.

 “Among  major parties, 19 (8 per cent) out of 248 candidates analysed from AAP, 14 (6 per cent) out of 249 candidates analysed from BJP and 12 (5 per cent) out of 245 candidates analysed from INC have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits,” the report added. Only one candidate has declared cases related to murder (IPC Section-302) against himself in the affidavit, the report noted.

While six candidates have declared cases related to attempts to murder (IPC Section-307) against themselves, the ADR said.

According to the report, 643 (48 per cent) of the candidates have declared liabilities. The AAP’s candidates from 53-Rohini-E, 98-Subhash Nagar, 146-Amar Colony — Kuldip Mittal, Manju Setia and Jitender Kumar — have the highest liabilities among all the candidates at over 15.43 crore, 10.94 crore and 10.07 crore, respectively.

-The Pioneer