-Rajesh Mishra
Lucknow : In the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, along with candidates with criminal image, money power is clearly visible. There has also been a decline in the number of female candidates as compared to the earlier phases. In the sixth phase, 65 per cent of the constituencies have been declared sensitive due to a large number of candidates with criminal history.
Uttar Pradesh Election Watch and Association for Democratic Reform (ADR) have analyzed the affidavits of 670 candidates out of 676 contesting in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. In this phase, elections are to be held for 57 assembly seats.
Criminal cases registered against 40 SP candidates
In the sixth phase, out of a total of 670 candidates, 182 i.e. 27 percent have criminal cases while 23 percent have serious cases registered. Looking at the affidavits, it is found that 40 out of 48 candidates or 83 percent of Samajwadi Party have criminal cases registered against 23 out of 52 of Bharatiya Janata Party i.e. 44 percent. Similarly, 39 per cent candidates of Congress and BSP have criminal cases registered against them. Only 14% of Aam Aadmi Party candidates have a criminal history. According to serious criminal cases, 29 or 60 per cent of Samajwadi Party’s 48 and 39 per cent of BJP and 36 per cent of Congress candidates have shown this in their affidavits.
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26 cases registered against Sudhir Singh
In the first place in the criminal cases declared by the candidates in the sixth phase, the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate from Sahjanwa assembly seat of Gorakhpur, Sudhir Singh, has 26 cases registered against him. In the second place is Ashok Chauhan of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party from Khadda assembly seat of Kushinagar district, who has 19 cases and in third place is Chandra Shekhar from Gorakhpur assembly constituency of Azad Samaj Party who has 16 cases registered. In the sixth phase, two candidates have been booked for rape and eight for murder.
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38 percent candidate crorepati
Even in the case of crorepati candidates, the sixth phase is not lagging behind the rest. A total of 38 per cent candidates are crorepatis in this phase. In Samajwadi Party, 94 per cent BJP has given tickets to 81 per cent crorepatis. At the same time, 77 percent of BSP candidates and 46 percent of Congress candidates are crorepatis. Among the top 3 candidates who declared the most assets, in the first place is SP’s candidate Vinay Shankar from Gorakhpur’s Chillupar assembly, who has declared his assets as Rs 67 crore, and in the second place is Rakesh Pandey from Jalalpur of Ambedkar Nagar, whose assets are 63. crore is Rs. In third place is Uma Shankar Singh from Rasad assembly seat of Bahujan Samaj Party’s Ballia district, who has declared his assets as 54 crores.
Three candidates declared their educational qualification as illiterate
The Uttar Pradesh Election Watch Association for Democratic Reform has declared 234 (35%) candidates between 5th and 12th their educational qualification in the sixth phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2022. Whereas 382 (57%) candidates have declared their educational qualification as Graduation and above. 6 candidates have declared their educational qualification as Diploma holder, 44 candidates have declared their educational qualification as literate and 3 candidates have declared their educational qualification as illiterate. 1 The candidate has not declared his/her educational qualification. In the sixth phase, 226 i.e. 34 percent candidates have declared their age between 25 to 40 years, while 346 candidates have declared their age between 41 to 60 years. At the same time, 98 or 15 percent of the candidates have declared their age between 61 and 80 years. Only 10 percent women candidates are contesting in the sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2022.
The presence of money-bearers and bahubalis is becoming an important part of electoral politics. The percentage of bahubali and money power among the election candidates is increasing continuously which is a matter of concern.
-Sanjay Singh, Convener, Uttar Pradesh Election Watch