Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Sept 30: Of the 415 candidates contesting in Phase III of the ongoing J&K Assembly elections across 40 segments, 16% (67) have declared criminal cases, while 13% (52) have declared serious criminal charges in their self-sworn affidavits.
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As in previous phases, the Indian National Congress continues to lead in fielding candidates with criminal backgrounds, followed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), National Conference (NC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 5 candidates have declared cases of attempted murder (IPC Section 307). At the same time, 45 per cent of contestants have reported their educational qualifications as being between the 5th and 12th grades.
On the assets and liabilities front, among all candidates in this phase, Sajad Gani Lone has the highest liabilities of Rs 7 crore, while Devender Singh Rana has the highest assets, amounting to Rs 126 crore.
The details revealed that, among the major parties, 5 (21%) out of 24 INC candidates, 4 (12%) out of 33 PDP candidates, 2 (11%) out of 18 NC candidates, 1 (5%) out of 21 BSP candidates, and 1 (3%) out of 29 BJP candidates have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.
For candidates with serious criminal cases, Congress leads, closely followed by NC, PDP, and BJP. Among the major parties, 3 (13%) out of 24 INC candidates, 4 (12%) out of 33 PDP candidates, 2 (11%) out of 18 NC candidates, 1 (5%) out of 21 BSP candidates, and 1 (3%) out of 29 BJP candidates have declared serious criminal cases.
There are also 11 constituencies (28%) out of 40 going to the polls that have been categorized as “Red Alert Constituencies”-where 3 or more contesting candidates have declared criminal cases.
Regarding candidate wealth, 41% (169) are crorepatis, with NC fielding the highest number in this phase.
The ADR noted that the influence of money in elections is evident, as all major political parties tend to give tickets to wealthy candidates.
Among the major parties, 16 (89%) out of 18 NC candidates, 19 (79%) out of 24 INC candidates, 22 (76%) out of 29 BJP candidates, 12 (36%) out of 33 PDP candidates, and 7 (33%) out of 21 BSP candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore.
The average assets per candidate in Phase III of the Assembly polls stand at Rs 2.76 crore.
In terms of party-wise average assets, BJP candidates average Rs 10.57 crore, NC candidates Rs 7.36 crore, INC candidates Rs 4.15 crore, PDP candidates Rs 3.61 crore, and BSP candidates Rs 1.78 crore.
Three candidates have declared the highest assets-two from the Baramulla Assembly segment and one from Jammu.
In Kashmir, PDP’s Shabir Ahmed Mir, contesting from Gulmarg, has Rs 53 crore in assets, while Independent candidate Taj Mohiudin, contesting from Uri, has Rs 51 crore. From Jammu, BJP’s Devender Singh Rana, contesting from Nagrota, has declared assets worth Rs 126 crore.
Six candidates-four from Jammu and two from Kashmir-have declared zero assets, while three have declared low assets, each valued in the thousands.
An interesting data point is that 45% (187) of the candidates have declared their educational qualifications to be between the 5th and 12th grades, while 52% (214) have declared Graduate or higher qualifications. Additionally, 4 candidates are diploma holders and 9 candidates are illiterate.
In terms of age, 133 (32%) candidates are between 25 and 40 years old, 198 (48%) are between 41 and 60, and 84 (20%) are between 61 and 80.
Regarding gender, only 28 (7%) female candidates are contesting in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Election 2024 Phase III.
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