Bengal polls: 23% candidates face criminal cases; 22% crorepatis, says ADR

Around 23 per cent of candidates contesting the second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections have declared criminal cases, while 22 per cent are crorepatis, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Out of 1,445 candidates analysed, 338 (23 per cent) have pending criminal cases, including 295 (20 per cent) facing serious charges. The report notes that 16 candidates have declared cases related to murder, while 80 face attempt to murder charges.

Party-wise, 72 per cent of analysed BJP candidates (102 of 141) have declared criminal cases, followed by 51 per cent of CPI(M) candidates (51 of 100), 35 per cent of TMC candidates (49 of 142), and 26 per cent of Congress candidates (37 of 142).

The ADR report also flags 63 out of 142 constituencies (44 per cent) as “red alert”, with three or more candidates facing criminal cases.

On the financial front, 321 candidates (22 per cent) have assets exceeding Rs 1 crore. Among major parties, 73 per cent of TMC candidates (103 of 142) are crorepatis, followed by 52 per cent in BJP (73 of 141), 33 per cent in CPI(M) (33 of 100), and 25 per cent in Congress (36 of 142).

The average asset per candidate in Phase II stands at Rs 1.21 crore. Among parties, TMC candidates have the highest average assets at Rs 5.05 crore, followed by BJP at Rs 3.28 crore, CPI(M) at Rs 1.22 crore, and Congress at Rs 1.04 crore.

With PTI inputs