Criminal case on 50% of candidates of big parties in the third phase

(Manisha Mahar, Intern Journalist); Nearly one-third of the candidates contesting the last phase of the election in Bihar is accused of a serious crime like rape, murder, and extortion. These things were revealed in a study by Bihar Election Watch (BEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The state will have the third phase of voting on 7 November and the results will be announced on 10 November.

BEW and ADR analyzed the affidavits of 1,195 out of 1,204 candidates contesting 78 seats for the third phase elections in Bihar. The study found that 31 percent or 371 of the total candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves. In addition, 282 candidates (24 percent) have declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

Most of the major parties have given more than 50 percent tickets to candidates facing serious criminal charges. For this phase, BJP has fielded 34 candidates, JDU 37, RJD 44, Congress 25, and LJP 42 candidates.