51% MLAs face criminal cases in new UP Vidhan Sabha: ADR

Mukesh Ranjan

New Delhi, March 13

More than half of the 403 newly elected Uttar Pradesh legislators have criminal cases against them, states an analysis report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Of the 403 legislators, 205 (51 per cent) have declared in their affidavits that they face criminal cases. Of them, 158 (39 per cent) winning candidates have declared serious criminal cases, including cases related to murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and crime against women, the ADR added.

In the report, the ADR also said five MLAs have declared cases related to murder (Section 302 of the IPC) against themselves. In all, 29 winning candidates are booked in attempt-to-murder cases, while six newly elected MLAs have declared cases related to crime against women — one of them faces a rape case.

As for the party-wise break-up, of the 255 newly elected BJP legislators, 111 (44 per cent) have criminal antecedents. The SP has 71 such MLAs out of its total strength of 111 in the newly elected Assembly. Seven out of eight winning candidates of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have a criminal taint. The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and Nishad Party have four “tainted” legislators each out of their respective six winning nominees. The Apna Dal has three MLAs with criminal cases out of 12, and the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) two. The Congress won two seats and both its MLAs are accused in criminal cases. The BSP’s lone MLA in the newly elected UP Assembly has criminal antecedents.

In all, 233 BJP legislators have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.