Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Sept 22: Out of 238 candidates contesting in Phase II of the Assembly elections, scheduled for September 25, 21% (49) have declared criminal cases against themselves, while 37% (16) have declared serious criminal charges in their self-sworn affidavits.
Among the parties fielding such candidates, Indian National Congress (INC) leads, followed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and National Conference (NC).
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According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 3 candidates have declared cases of attempted murder (IPC Section 307), and 7 candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women. Of these 7, 1 candidate has declared a rape case (IPC Section 376).
Regarding party-wise candidates with criminal cases, 4 (15%) out of 26 candidates from PDP, 4 (24%) out of 17 from BJP, 2 (33%) out of 6 from INC, and 1 (5%) out of 20 from NC have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.
For serious criminal cases, 1 (4%) out of 26 candidates from PDP, 3 (18%) out of 17 from BJP, 2 (33%) out of 6 from INC, and 1 (5%) out of 20 from NC have declared serious charges.
Additionally, ADR has reported that 8 Assembly constituencies (31% of 26) have been declared ‘Red Alert Constituencies’ where 3 or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases.
In terms of assets, 131 (55%) of the 238 candidates are crorepatis. Among major parties, all 6 (100%) candidates from INC, 18 (90%) out of 20 from NC, 13 (76%) out of 17 from BJP, and 19 (73%) out of 26 from PDP have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.
“The role of money power in our elections is evident from the fact that all major political parties give tickets to wealthy candidates,” ADR noted.
The average assets per candidate in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections Phase II are Rs 5.80 crore. Among major parties, the average assets for 6 INC candidates are Rs 29.39 crore, for 20 NC candidates Rs 11.21 crore, for 17 BJP candidates Rs 11.07 crore, and for 26 PDP candidates Rs 5.24 crore.
The top 3 candidates with the highest declared assets in Phase II are all from Kashmir, and include, Syed Altaf Bukhari (Rs 165 crore) contesting from Channapora, Tariq Hameed Karra (Rs 149 crore) from Central Shalteng, and Mushtaq Guroo (Rs 94 crore) of NC contesting from Channapora.
In terms of education, ADR reports that 117 (49%) candidates have declared their educational qualifications to be between 5th and 12th standard, while 114 (48%) are graduates or above. Six candidates hold diplomas, while one candidate has declared himself illiterate.
Regarding age distribution, 84 (35%) candidates are between 25 and 40 years old, 105 (44%) are between 41 and 60, and 49 (21%) are between 61 and 80. Only 3% of the candidates in Phase II of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections are women.
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