Of the 1,475 candidates examined, 345 (23%) have pending criminal cases, and 294 (20%) are facing serious accusations.
The report highlighted that 19 candidates have declared murder-related cases, while 105 candidates are associated with attempted murder charges. Furthermore, 98 candidates face allegations concerning crimes against women, including six who are accused of rape.
Among the major political parties, the BJP had the highest percentage of candidates with criminal records, with 106 out of 152 candidates (70%) disclosing such cases.
This was followed by the TMC with 63 candidates (43%), CPI(M) with 43 candidates (44%), and Congress with 39 candidates (26%).
A similar pattern was noted regarding serious criminal cases, where 63% of BJP candidates, 32% of TMC, 37% of CPI(M), and 22% of Congress candidates are facing severe charges.
The report also identified 66 constituencies — about 43% of those participating in phase I — as “red alert constituencies,” where three or more candidates have reported criminal cases.
Despite the Supreme Court’s mandate for political parties to justify the selection of candidates with criminal backgrounds, the ADR stated that parties continue to provide “unfounded” justifications such as popularity or claims of politically motivated cases.
“This data clearly illustrates that political parties are uninterested in reforming the electoral process,” the report noted.
From a financial perspective, 309 candidates (21%) are crorepatis, with the average assets per candidate estimated at ₹1.34 crore. The TMC leads in average wealth, with candidates declaring assets averaging ₹5.70 crore, followed by the BJP (₹2.57 crore), Congress (₹2.06 crore), and CPI(M) (₹92.42 lakh).
The report emphasized the significance of wealth in candidate selection, highlighting that 72% of TMC candidates, 47% of BJP candidates, 33% of Congress candidates, and 24% of CPI(M) candidates possess assets exceeding ₹1 crore.
Among the wealthiest candidates, Jakir Hossain from TMC tops the list with declared assets over ₹133 crore, followed by Goutam Mishra (over ₹105 crore) and Kabi Dutta (over ₹72 crore), both from TMC.
The three least wealthy candidates have reported assets of below ₹1,000.
Rubiya Begam from Durgapur Purba of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party disclosed total assets of just ₹500, followed by SUCI(C) candidates Sushrita Saren from Medinipur with ₹700 and Jashoda Barman from Jalpaiguri with ₹924.
All three have declared no immovable assets.
Regarding demographics, only 167 candidates (11%) are women.
Nearly half of the candidates hold educational qualifications ranging from Classes 5 to 12, while 47% are graduates or higher. The majority — 53% — belong to the age group of 41-60.
