Kerala polls: 38% candidates facing criminal cases, 23% facing serious charges

New Delhi: 883 candidates to contest in upcoming elections kerala According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 324 people (38%) announced criminal proceedings during the parliamentary elections, of which 201 (23%) faced serious charges.Data from affidavits submitted by candidates to the Election Commission of India as part of the nomination process shows candidates with criminal cases cut across party lines. Among the major political parties, 72 out of 85 Congress candidates, 59 out of 93 BJP candidates, and 51 out of 77 CPM candidates declared criminal cases in their affidavits.

The report also identified a large number of “red alert” precincts in the state. Of the 140 seats, 59 constituencies (42%) have three or more candidates who have filed criminal cases, indicating a high concentration of such candidates in several key areas.ADR analyzed a total of 863 candidates out of 883 candidates. The remaining candidates could not be evaluated due to incomplete or unclear affidavits.The report also highlights that this trend is unchanged from previous elections, with little improvement in candidate selection practices. Despite Supreme Court directives on transparency, political parties continue to field candidates with criminal backgrounds.Meanwhile, an analysis of criminal, financial and other background details by two NGOs, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Kerala Election Watch, revealed that 70 per cent of sitting MLAs in the Kerala Assembly have self-declared criminal cases against them.The Kerala Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held on Thursday, April 9, and counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.