CHANDIGARH: Seven per cent of the candidates in the Haryana Assembly elections have criminal cases such as murder registered against them even though the number of candidates facing criminal cases has come down, compared to the last elections.
A report released by Haryana Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms states that 94 out of 1,351 candidates contesting the elections have criminal cases against them. In the 2009 Assembly elections, 109 of the 1,186 candidates (9 per cent) faced criminal cases.The party with the highest number of tainted candidates is the Haryana Janhit Congress, with 10 of its 65 (15 per cent)candidates facing criminal charges. Of the 88 candidates fielded by the INLD, 10 have criminal cases against them, and of these, six face serious charges. And nine candidates of the BJP(10 per cent), which is contesting all the 90 seats, have criminal cases against them. Of these, four candidates, face serious charges.
Six of the 75 candidates (8 per cent) fielded by the Haryana Lokhit Party are facing criminal charges. And four of the 90 Congress candidates have criminal cases against them, all facing serious charges. When it comes to independents, 41 (7 per cent) out of the 597 candidates have criminal cases registered against them. Of them, 31 are booked under serious charges, states the report.
Of the 94 tainted candidates, 70 are booked under serious criminal charges relating to murder, attempt to murder, communal disharmony, crimes against women. Forty-nine of these nominees have already been framed by courts.
In the last Assembly elections, the number of the candidates with serious charges was 86. Eleven candidates have cases of attempt to murder registered against them. There are also seven candidates, who have been arraigned in cases related to crimes against women.