New Delhi: Among the states whose assembly results were declared last week, West Bengal has the maximum number of legislators with criminal cases pending against them — at 35 per cent, a study said Monday.
"Around 35 per cent of MLAs [Members of the Legislative Assembly] of West Bengal, 29 per cent of Tamil Nadu, 10 per cent of Assam and 30 per cent of MLAs from Puducherry have criminal cases pending against them," a statement from Election Watch, the election analysis wing of thinktank Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), said. The organisation did not analyse the fifth state, Kerala.
Serious charges
West Bengal has a total of 102 legislators with pending cases, as per their own declaration. At least 75 of them face serious charges such as murder, attempted murder, theft and kidnapping.
"All major parties have MLAs with pending criminal cases. Trinamool Congress has 69 MLAs out of 183 analysed [38 per cent], Congress has 17 out of 42 [41 per cent] and CPM [Communist Party of India-Marxist] has seven out of 40 [18 per cent] MLAs analysed with pending criminal cases," the report said.
Union territory Puducherry has nine legislators with pending charges.
"Two MLAs out of these have declared serious IPC [Indian Penal Code] charges like voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons," ADR said.
In Tamil Nadu, 66 legislators have criminal cases pending against them, with the victorious AIADMK having the highest number of tainted legislators, which at 46 represent 31 per cent of its assembly's strength.
"Around 35 per cent of MLAs [Members of the Legislative Assembly] of West Bengal, 29 per cent of Tamil Nadu, 10 per cent of Assam and 30 per cent of MLAs from Puducherry have criminal cases pending against them," a statement from Election Watch, the election analysis wing of thinktank Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), said. The organisation did not analyse the fifth state, Kerala.
Serious charges
West Bengal has a total of 102 legislators with pending cases, as per their own declaration. At least 75 of them face serious charges such as murder, attempted murder, theft and kidnapping.
"All major parties have MLAs with pending criminal cases. Trinamool Congress has 69 MLAs out of 183 analysed [38 per cent], Congress has 17 out of 42 [41 per cent] and CPM [Communist Party of India-Marxist] has seven out of 40 [18 per cent] MLAs analysed with pending criminal cases," the report said.
Union territory Puducherry has nine legislators with pending charges.
"Two MLAs out of these have declared serious IPC [Indian Penal Code] charges like voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons," ADR said.
In Tamil Nadu, 66 legislators have criminal cases pending against them, with the victorious AIADMK having the highest number of tainted legislators, which at 46 represent 31 per cent of its assembly's strength.
