ADR analysis finds 45 pc of 4,092 MLAs facing criminal charges
New Delhi, Mar 17 (PTI): At least 45 per cent of 4,092 MLAs have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to an analysis by poll rights body ADR.
The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) analysed the affidavits of 4,092 out of 4,123 MLAs in 28 state and three Union Territory assemblies. The affidavits of 24 MLAs could not be analysed as those were poorly scanned or not readable.
There are seven vacancies in the assemblies.
According to the latest ADR report, 1,861 MLAs declared criminal cases against their names.
It said 1,205 MLAs were facing serious criminal charges, including cases related to murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women.
Andhra Pradesh leads the list with 138 MLAs (79 per cent) declaring criminal cases against their names, followed by Kerala and Telangana with 69 per cent each.
Other states with a high percentage of MLAs declaring criminal against their names are Bihar (66 per cent), Maharashtra (65 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (59 per cent).
With 98 (56 per cent), Andhra Pradesh also tops the list of legislators declaring serious criminal cases.
Other states with a significant proportion of legislators facing serious criminal cases are Telangana (50 per cent), Bihar (49 per cent), Odisha (45 per cent), Jharkhand (45 per cent) and Maharashtra (41 per cent).
The analysis also sheds light on the party-wise distribution of criminal cases among incumbent MLAs.
Of the BJP's 1,653 MLAs, 39 per cent or 638 declared criminal cases. Among them are 436 (26 per cent) facing serious charges.
Among the 646 MLAs of the Congress, 339 (52 per cent) declared criminal cases, including 194 (30 per cent) facing serious charges.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has the highest proportion of MLAs facing criminal cases. A whopping 115 of its 134 MLAs have declared criminal cases in their names. These include 82 MLAs facing serious allegations.
Tamil Nadu's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has 74 per cent (98 out of 132) MLAs with criminal cases, including 42 facing serious charges.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which governs West Bengal, has 95 MLAs (out of 230) facing criminal cases. Among them are 78 facing serious charges.
Of AAP's 123 MLAs, 69 (56 per cent) are facing criminal cases. These include 35 (28 per cent) with serious charges.
The Samajwadi Party has 110 MLAs and 68 (62 per cent) of them are facing criminal cases. Among them are 48 (44 per cent) booked for serious crimes.
According to the report, 54 MLAs are facing murder charges under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) while 226 are accused of attempted murder under Section 307 of the IPC and Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Additionally, 127 MLAs have declared cases related to crimes against women, including 13 charged with rape under Section 376 of the IPC and Section 376(2)(n), which deals with repeated sexual assault on the same victim.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
