The persistence of criminalisation in electoral politics remains evident in the 2026 Assembly elections. Of the 863 candidates analysed in Keralam, 324 (38%) have declared criminal cases against themselves—unchanged from 38% in 2021 Assembly election (355 out of 928 candidates). However, the proportion of candidates facing serious criminal cases has risen to 201 (23%) from 18% in 2021 Assembly election, indicating a worsening trend.
An analysis of the self-sworn affidavits of 863 candidates, jointly prepared by The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Kerala Election Watch, shows a high prevalence of candidates with criminal records across major parties. The party wise data shows: The Indian National Congress (INC) leads with 72 of 85 candidates (85%) declaring criminal cases, followed by IUML (84%), Kerala Congress (75%), CPI(M) (66%), BJP (63%), and CPI (54%). Smaller parties such as NCP, Kerala Congress (B), and Kerala Congress (Jacob) have all their candidates declaring criminal cases.
A similar pattern is visible in serious criminal cases, with 71% of INC candidates, 52% of IUML candidates, and 42% of BJP candidates facing such charges.
The data also highlights serious offences: 15 candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women, including one involving repeated rape; 4 candidates face murder charges, and 13 have cases related to attempt to murder.
Despite directions from the Supreme Court mandating transparency and justification in selecting candidates with criminal backgrounds, political parties appear to have made little effort to reform, continuing to field between 42% and 100% such candidates. Reasons cited in past elections--such as popularity or claims of politically motivated cases--have been widely criticised as inadequate.
Beyond criminality, the influence of wealth remains significant. Between 50% and 100% of candidates fielded by major parties are crorepatis, underlining a deep-rooted nexus between money and muscle power that raises concerns about the fairness of elections.
In terms of candidate profiles, 48% have educational qualifications between Class 5 and 12, while 46% are graduates or above. The majority (58%) are aged between 41 and 60 years. Women remain underrepresented, constituting just 11% (92 candidates), unchanged from 2021.
The Kerala analysis had also shown that there are about 221 crorepaties among the 863 candidates analyised by their self asset declaration. It also showed, among 104 re-contesting MLAs, average assets have risen from Rs 3.56 crore in 2021 to Rs 4.30 crore in 2026--an increase of Rs 74.36 lakh, or 21% over five years.