Jharkhand polls: In 2nd phase, 127 candidates are crorepatis, 148 have criminal cases

Ranchi, Nov 14 (PTI) A total of 127 crorepati candidates are contesting in the second phase of the Jharkhand Assembly elections, with Aquil Akhtar of the Samajwadi Party emerging as the wealthiest, declaring assets exceeding Rs 400 crore, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) released on Thursday.

Of the 522 candidates in 38 constituencies going to polls on November 20, 127 (24 per cent) are crorepatis, while 148 (28 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves, the report said.

A significant 23 per cent of the candidates have disclosed that serious criminal charges, including murder, rape, and attempted murder, are pending against them, it said.

"The role of money power in our elections is evident from the fact that all major political parties field wealthy candidates," the report stated.

Aquil Akhtar, contesting from Pakur on the Samajwadi Party ticket, is the wealthiest candidate in the second phase, declaring movable assets of Rs 99.51 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 402 crore, totalling over Rs 400 crore.

He is followed by Niranjan Rai, an independent candidate from Dhanwar, with assets worth around Rs 137 crore, and Mohammad Danish of the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) from the same seat, who has assets valued at around Rs 32 crore.

On the other hand, Jharkhand People's Party (JPP) candidate Elian Hansdak, contesting from the Maheshpur (ST) constituency, has declared zero assets, while independent candidate Rajeshwar Mahto from Silli has reported assets of Rs 100, and another independent candidate, Jitender Oraon from Khijir, has declared assets worth around Rs 2,500.

In terms of criminal cases, among the major political parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the highest percentage of candidates with criminal cases, with 14 out of 32 (44 per cent) candidates analyzed. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) follows with 33 per cent, as 8 out of its 24 candidates have declared criminal cases.

The Congress has 42 per cent (5 out of 12), the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has 25 per cent (5 out of 20), and the AJSU Party, despite a smaller pool of 6 candidates, shows a 67 per cent (4 out of 6) of its candidates with criminal records.

Both analyzed candidates of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) declared criminal cases.

In terms of serious criminal charges, 12 BJP candidates (38 per cent) have such cases, followed by 5 BSP nominees (21 per cent) and 4 each from Congress (33 per cent) and AJSU Party (67 per cent).

The analysis highlighted the presence of candidates with charges related to violence against women.

A total of 12 candidates have declared cases involving crimes against women, including one individual facing a charge of rape. Three candidates have declared charges related to murder while 34 candidates have disclosed charges related to attempted murder.

The report also identified "red alert constituencies," where multiple candidates with criminal cases are contesting. Of the 38 constituencies analyzed, 28 (74 per cent) have been flagged as red alert constituencies.

These are areas where three or more candidates with criminal charges are vying for the seat.

In terms of education, 247 (47 per cent) candidates have declared their qualifications as between 5th and 12th standard, 234 (45 per cent) are graduates or hold higher degrees, 6 hold diplomas, 34 are just literate, and one candidate is illiterate, the report added. PTI