New Delhi: Of the 1,297 candidates contesting the Bihar Assembly elections in the second phase, 562 are crorepatis, according to an analysis published by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR).
In a state with a per capita income of 69,321 at current prices, the average assets of candidates is Rs 3.44 crore, as per the report.
ADR and Bihar Election Watch have analysed the self-sworn affidavits of 1,297 out of 1,302 candidates who are contesting in the Bihar Assembly Elections Phase II, set to be held in 122 constituencies.
As per the analysis, the richest is Ran Kaushal Pratap Singh, of the Vikassheel Insaan Party, with total assets of over Rs 368 crore, followed by Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party’s Nitish Kumar with assets worth over Rs 250 crore, and JD(U)’s Manorama Devi with assets worth more than Rs 75 crore.
At the other end of the spectrum are Moolniwasi Samaj Party’s Suresh Rajvanshi with total assets worth Rs 1,100, and Independents Pankaj Kumar Ram and Rajamangal Prasad, both of whom have declared assets worth Rs 2000. One BSP candidate, Sunil Kumar Choudhary, has declared zero assets.
Jan Suraaj Party’s 86 of 117 candidates (74 percent) are crorepatis, while 59 of 70 RJD candidates (84 percent) have declared assets of over a crore. BJP’s 44 of 53 (83 percent), JD(U)’s 40 of 44 (91 percent), INC’s 31 of 37 (84 percent), BSP’s 30 of 91 candidates (33 percent), all 15 candidates of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), 13 of 39 AAP candidates (33 percent), 3 of 6 CPI(ML)(L) candidates (50 percent), 2 of 4 CPI candidates (50 percent), and 1 CPI(M) candidate are crorepatis.
Candidates with criminal cases
Of the 1,297 candidates, 415 (32%) have declared criminal cases against them, and 341 (26%) face serious criminal cases. Serious criminal cases include offences which carry a maximum punishment of 5 years or more, offences which are non-bailable, an offence which is an electoral offence, offences against women and children, and offences such as assault, murder, kidnap and rape.
The Bihar elections have seen the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government reminding citizens of an erstwhile ‘jungle-raj’ in the state, while the recent spate of murders has given ammunition to the opposition Mahagathbandhan.
Of the candidates, 19 have declared cases of murder against them, and 79 have declared cases of attempted murder.
The report also has a list of ‘red alert constituencies’, where 3 or more candidates face criminal cases. In the second phase, 73 of 122 constituencies are in this category.
As for educational qualifications, 9 have declared themselves to be ‘illiterate’, while another 117 have declared themselves to be just ‘literate’. Another 36 hold a doctorate degree, 180 hold a postgraduate degree, 295 hold a graduate degree and 116 have declared themselves a ‘graduate professional’.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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