MUMBAI: While the number of MLAs with criminal records has gone up by five percent from 57% to 62%, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are the biggest contributors to the rise in the number of MLAs with criminal record in Maharashtra legislative assembly, a study conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has shown.
In 2014, Maharashtra assembly had 165 MLAs (57%) with criminal records. In 2019, the number has gone up to 176 (62%), though the number of MLAs with criminal record has gone down by two from 115 to 113, the ADR report has shown.
A party-wise analysis shows that the percentage of MLAs with criminal record has significantly gone down – from 76% to 56% for Shiv Sena, while it has significantly gone up for the Congress – from 36% to 59% between 2014 and 2019. While there is a slight rise for BJP – from 61% to 62% for the NCP the percentage has gone up from 40% to 60%.
Among major parties, 40 (38%) out of 105 MLAs from BJP, 26 (47%) out of 55 MLAs from Shiv Sena, 17 (32%) out of 53 MLAs from NCP, 15 (34%) out of 44 MLAs from INC, and 6 (50%) out of 12 Independent MLAs have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
The analysis is based on self-sworn affidavits of 285 of the total 288 MLAs, as affidavits of the remaining three MLAs were not available on the Election Commission's website, the ADR has said.
The advocacy group also found that the new Assembly has more number of millionaire MLAs than the outgoing one.
There are 264 (93 per cent) millionaire MLAs compared to 253 (88 per cent) in the outgoing Assembly, the data stated.
“The average of MLAs’ assets in the new assembly is Rs 22.42 crore, which was Rs 10.87 crore in 2014. At least 118 MLAs have been re-elected in 2019 elections and the average assets of re-elected MLAs in 2019 is Rs 25.86 crore,” ADR has said.
Only NCP is the party where the number of millionaire MLAs has gone down, the party wise analysis of legislators’ property has shown.
For NCP the number of millionaire MLAs has gone down from 95% to 89%, while it has increased from 85% to 95% in BJP, 91% to 96% for Congress and 85% to 93% for the Shiv Sena, the ADR analysis has shown.
Most of the MLAs (55% or 157 out of 288) have registered their education as graduate or above, ADR report has said.