AAP tops list of candidates with criminal cases : Report
Among the 93 candidates of national parties with declared criminal cases and serious offences for the upcoming Assembly elections in Delhi, the AAP has the most number of candidatures at 44 and 29, respectively, according to a recently released report of poll rights body Association for Democratic Rights (ADR).
The poll rights body released the report on Monday on analysis of criminal background, financial, education, gender of the contesting candidates for the February 5 polls.
The body analysed 699 contesting candidates, of whom 278 were from national parties, 29 from state parties, 254 from registered unrecognised parties and 138 contesting as independents.
Among them a total of 81 candidates, accounting for 12 per cent of those analysed, have declared serious criminal cases in their affidavits, marking a marginal improvement from 2020 elections, wherein 104 candidates had declared similar cases.
The report stated that among major parties, 44 out of 70 of AAP candidates had declared criminal cases against them, while the Congress had 29 candidates out of 70 contesting with criminal cases and the BJP had 20 out of 68 contesting candidates in the bracket.
Meanwhile, 29 of the AAP candidates had serious criminal cases, followed by 13 from the Congress and nine from the BJP.
The report also highlights cases related to crimes against women, with 13 candidates facing such allegations. Additionally, two candidates have declared cases of murder (IPC Section 302), while five face charges of attempt to murder (IPC Section 307).
“The directions of the Supreme Court have had no effect on the political parties in the selection of the candidates in the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025, as they have again followed their old practice of giving tickets to around 19 per cent candidates with criminal cases. All major parties contesting in the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 have given tickets from 12 per cent to 63 per cent candidates who have declared criminal cases against themselves,” it said.
Meanwhile, among the financial background of the contesting candidates, 125 had value of assets of Rs 5 crore and above. Among them, five are billionaires – BJP’s Shakur Basti candidate had the highest assets at more than Rs 259 crore, followed by Manjinder Singh Sirsa with Rs 248 crore plus assets.
A significant proportion of candidates, 46 per cent, have declared their educational qualifications to fall between the 5th and 12th standard. Interestingly, an equal percentage of candidates, also 46 per cent, have stated that they possess graduate or higher educational qualifications. However, the data also sheds light on disparities in educational attainment, with 18 candidates reporting diploma-level qualifications, six identifying as just literate and 29 declaring themselves illiterate.
In the age distribution among candidates, the largest group comprises individuals aged between 41 and 60, accounting for 56 per cent of the total. Meanwhile, 28 per cent of the candidates belong to the younger demography, aged between 25 and 40. Senior citizens also remain an integral part of the elections, with 15 per cent of the candidates aged between 61 and 80. Notably, three candidates are above the age of 80.
Gender representation has seen a slight improvement compared to previous years. In 2025, women make up 14 per cent of the candidates, with 96 female participants in the race. This marks an increase from the 12 per cent recorded in the 2020 Delhi Assembly Elections, when 79 women contested.
